The First Female Knight
by toffeekitten
Summary: Gwen becomes a knight and wins Arthur's heart in the process. The Tournament Finale has arrived :)
1. Gwen arrives

**This is my first attempt at writing fanfiction! Please R&R :) x Also I own nothing. Everything belongs to the BBC apart from the story.**

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><p>Gwen, a female warrior, the first of her kind, had to fight hard to get where she was. Not only physically, but mentally and legally as well. A stubborn, strong and selfless girl, Arthur was immediately attracted to her and was not surprised to find so were half of his knights. It was one of the main reasons he argued so passionately for her not to be allowed to fight. It was not a good idea to distract the men, especially in such troublesome times. His other problem was that she did not even look like she could pick up a sword, let alone use it. How could such a small, fragile looking thing really be helpful in battle? If the men weren't ogling her, they would be trying to protect her. It was a lose-lose situation. But she would prove him wrong and Arthur would end up becoming her biggest supporter and greatest friend.<p>

Gwen arrived in Camelot on horseback, one slightly wet morning with her life in a bag and a couple of coins in her pocket. She was here to make history, and nothing would stop her achieving her aim. Nothing. Without a second thought she went straight to the castle to demand what she knew was rightfully hers. Getting past the guards was easy, a flattering comment and smile was all you need. Leaving her horse in the stable, Gwen smarten herself up and walked into the throne room where Uther Pendragon sat.

"Yes, what is it?" Heart racing, Gwen took a deep breath and began.

"Your highness, my name is Gwen Sparks, and I am here to claim the title that is rightly mine to have."

"Sparks...As in Thomas Sparks?" Uther looked concerned.

"Yes, sire, I am his daughter", Gwen replied, desperately hoping her voice would not shake with nerves.

"Well, what do you want?" Uther's eyes narrowed.

"In honour of his service to you, you swore an oath that his oldest child would be allowed to join the knights of Camelot, regardless of their class."

Uther laughed, "Yes I remember that, but girl you cannot join the knights, you are a woman."

"Your oath did not specify my father's child had to be male" Gwen responded as politely as she could.

Uther rising to his feet began to shout, "This is ridiculous! I will not allow it!"

Gwen was now feeling more confident, "Your highness, I am afraid you have no choice. The oath you swore with my father was blood binding, as I am sure you remember"

Uther's face went grey and he sat back down in his throne. "But I simply cannot allow you to become a knight, it is against the law!"

"Sire, I believe if you check your laws, the only limitations to becoming a knight is class and surviving the training."

Uther turns to the court chief legislator, "Is this right?"

"Well..." he stutters, "I do believe what the young lady says is true, and if you swore a blood oath with her father, I don't think you have a choice sire but to let her participate in the training."

Uther hesitates, then looks up and smirks at Gwen, "Very well, girl you are to join the knights in their training but know this, you will not pass it. You'll be lucky if you even last the first day."

"Thank you your highness" and with that Gwen bowed and left the castle.

Stopping by the stables, Gwen leant against the wall, slid down and sat on the hay hugging her knees. She had done it. She allowed herself a moment to regain her composure and let the news sink in. She then stood up, brushed herself off and with a flick of her wrist, the stable door opened and her horse walked out to meet her. As she jumped up and onto her horse she gave the door a fleeting look and it closed.

Although Gwen had believed she was alone, there was in fact another person in that stable who watched the whole scene. Merlin, another magic caster, couldn't bare the thought of one of his kin leaving Camelot.

"WAIT!" he yelled.

Gwen turned round instantly on guard and gave Merlin a sharp look.

"Yes?"

"Are you new in town?" Merlin's eager face beamed up at her.

"I am"

"Do you need a place to stay?"

"Pardon?" Gwen asked confused.

"Do you need a place to stay?" Gwen became incredibly wary.

Merlin realised and said "Look I'll be honest with you", and he whispered something under his breath. Suddenly the hooves of Gwen's horse turned bright pink.

"Impressive" and just like that Gwen turned the hooves back to their original colour.

"Come and meet Gaius, he'll know what to do with you".

And with a big smile from Merlin that Gwen returned, she got off her horse, grabbed her bag and went back into the castle.

Gwen followed Merlin round to the physician's chambers at the back of the castle.

"Gaius!" Merlin yells while knocking loudly on the door and letting himself in. "Where are you? We've got company! Hello!"

Gaius looked up from his workbench and gave Gwen a quick glance, "Where did you pick up this one, no offence dear,"

Gwen was immediately insulted but after taking a minute she realised that she had been riding for several days, in all sorts of weather conditions and thought actually she must look quite a sight.

With that comment, Gwen apologised for turning up at Gaius's door looking like a drowned rat and launched into her story explaining that Merlin had picked up Gwen Sparks the first female knight to be. Clearly Gaius was taken back.

"Well", he replied giving her a wary look, "if you're going to be a knight you need more than just a sword. Merlin fetch Morgana and let's see what we can do." And off Merlin went.

"Why are you helping me?" Gwen asked hesitantly.

"Dear, Merlin is an extremely good judge of character plus you really do need some help if you're going to become a knight." Gaius came over to Gwen and patted her hand. "I also knew your father. Tom was a very good man as well as being an incredibly talented wizard. If you even have half his skill you will be a very powerful witch indeed."

Gwen was shocked but kept quiet, still not willing to trust complete strangers. Although at least she could rely on them to keep their mouth shut about her extra abilities. Morgana arrived and instantly they clicked. Morgana was friendly but had an air about her that suggested loneliness and a mouth that didn't smile quite as easily as it should. Gwen liked that about her, it gave Morgana an attitude and experiences that they could bond over.

"Well I'll have to be honest, I've never made chainmail for a woman before so this could be interesting."

Morgana rose to the challenge and made Gwen armour that was light, loose and actually looked pretty good. Her symbol was a pretty mixture of pinks and purples in the design of a lily. If she was going to go into hostile territory since she was a woman, might as well look good doing so.

Gwen arrived for training bright and early the next morning. Clearly Arthur had not been expecting her seeing as his first action was to try and flirt with her.

"Sire, I am here to start my knight's training. "

Arthur laughed, "You're joking".

Gwen shook her head.

"This is ridiculous, my father would never allow this."

"Well he did"

"I won't allow it" and Arthur stormed off towards the castle. Gwen signed, what a great start to her first day.

Arthur eventually came back with a foul look on his face.

"Very well, you shall train with us but do not expect any special treatment or for me to take it easy on you."

"I won't sire."

"Your first job is to muck out the stables, sweep the yard and clean the guard's quarters".

"Yes sire", Gwen couldn't contain a small smile. Wow that's a cute smile, Arthur mentally shook himself.

"What funny Sparks?"

"Nothing sire".

Gwen's smile vanished, Arthur's heart ached a little. Gwen bowed and went to complete her tasks. She had been smiling because this part of training was to help the knights become humble through doing humiliating tasks, whereas Gwen had grown up doing these tasks so it was like second nature. Gwen had nearly finished before the day was up just sweeping the last of the dirt in the guards' quarters. This was when Arthur pounced. In a small closed environment fighting was hard but Gwen was also without the aid of a sword. Using the only thing she had, the broom, she fought back. Although not as strong as a man, Gwen was faster and quick thinking. As Arthur backed her into a corner, the tension in the room was electric. Looking into Arthur's eyes, Gwen knew she was not the only one who felt it. Regardless Gwen, pushed the broom hard against Arthur's sword, not only knocking him back but it cut the broom in two giving Gwen the advantage of dual wielding. Gwen fought bravely and got some very good hits on Arthur but eventually he managed to knock her on to the guard's bed. He jumped on to the bed and pinned Gwen underneath him, holding his sword across her throat. Both of them were panting hard. Arthur moved his sword.

"You fought well and bravely. You have progressed on to the next stage of training."

"Thank you sire…can I get up now please?"

Arthur looked flustered, "Sorry", he quickly got off her.

"Thank you sire. I will see you tomorrow."

Gwen bowed and as soon as she was out of sight of the guard's quarters, ran all the way back to Gaius's with a smile beaming across her face. The prince was very handsome but more importantly he was her boss and the prince of Camelot. Also far too arrogant to be taken seriously. Gwen vowed not to be caught in anymore compromising situations with the so-called Prince Charming. Arthur was thinking the same thing. The tension in the guard's quarters was unacceptable especially as it made him so slow. Not getting off her straight away was stupid and he should not have let her get to him like that. Pretty girls were a curse to men's concentration.

The next day they both kept their distance and Arthur only spoke to Gwen to criticise or command. Gwen only responded with "Yes sire", or "No sire". She was either stared at or completely ignored by the other knights. Neither approach bothered her, all that matter was beating the creeps in the battlefield and giving the ignorant ones something to respect. Eventually it came to Gwen's final task, defeat Arthur in battle. She had excelled throughout the training and had become like one of the lads but this would be the true test of her abilities. Gwen had to admit she was nervous. After her last encounter with Arthur, she really was not sure what was going to happen. She met Arthur in the castle. It was customary that the challenger would fight Arthur on the battlefield but this battle was sure to attract too many crowds so it had been decided the battle would take place inside the castle instead. Gwen was there and waited for Arthur to show. As Arthur arrived he commanded the guards to shut the doors behind him and not to let anyone in. Gwen and Arthur shared a look.

"Sparks, are you ready to face your last task and become a knight?"

"Yes sire".

"Then let's begin."

They started to circle each other, neither one wanting to make the first move. Eventually Arthur attacked and Gwen only just escaped. They fought hard and fast with a lot of glancing hits. Gwen finally won although technically she cheated. In her defence, she would use magic in a real fight so she believed it was her right to use a talent to aid her in this challenge. With a glance to the floor it became wet and Arthur slipped. That minor distraction in his attention was enough to give Gwen the edge. As he fell backwards, Gwen jumped on top of him and held her sword to his throat. Arthur looked up and smiled,

"Good use of role reversal. Congratulations, you're going to be a knight!"

Gwen's face broke into a huge smile and Arthur was blown away by how beautiful she looked. Overwhelmed by the happiness that spread across her face Arthur put his hand on the back of Gwen's head and brought her face down to his and kissed her. Gwen didn't hesitate and kissed him back.

A little while later, when both of them came up for air, they realised what a huge mistake they had made. Gwen quickly stood up and ran out, forgetting to bow or say "Thank you sire". Arthur looked up, watched her flee and then dropped his head so hard on the stone floor he almost gave himself concussion. Then he didn't know what hurt more his head or his heart.

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><p><strong>I really hope you enjoyed reading this and continue to read through the next chapters! <strong>


	2. Would you care to dance?

**Here is chapter two. Please read and enjoy :)**

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><p>The next time he saw Gwen was the knighting ceremony. His father was furious with him for passing her but he argued passionately that she deserved it. Uther secretly hoped Gwen would die in battle soon enough and Arthur was fully aware of that. Obviously he knew he would never let that happen.<p>

There was a ball held in the honour of the new knights that night and Lancelot, also a new recruit invited Gwen to go along as his date. She accepted only because she had no good excuse not to. So with her new found money she went and brought a beautiful red dress. It was a gorgeous gown made from silk and narrowly missed grazing the floor as she walked. Looking her in mirror, she allowed herself a rare moment of girly behaviour and twirled. She loved the way the dress caught the light and hugged her curves in all the right places. Nervously she waited for Lancelot to come and meet her from Gaius's. He arrived shortly, looking very handsome in his full armour and red cloak. Gwen panicked and thought perhaps she should change into her chainmail. Lancelot sensing her distress turned to her and smiled,

"Gwen, you look wonderful. Relax. Tonight is meant to be fun."

She returned his smile and they walked arm in arm into the castle together. Judging from Lancelot's reaction, the new dress suited Gwen and the thought of Arthur seeing her like this made her heart skip a beat.

Arthur's heart skipped several beats as soon as he saw Gwen walk through the door. She looked beautiful and completely took his breath away. His heart stopped entirely when he saw she was not alone. Lancelot! Arthur knew there was a reason he didn't like him although admittedly he only realised he didn't like him tonight. Lancelot and Gwen came over to Uther and Arthur, Lancelot bowed and Gwen rather unusually curtsied instead.

"Thank you sire for this great honour you have bestowed upon us", was Lancelot's very eloquent greeting.

Gwen's response was a much simpler, "Thank you, your majesty".

"Lancelot, you will make a fine knight and are a wonderful addition to the greatest army the world has ever known. Sparks, you have surprised me but I'm sure I will be right in the end." Uther looked at Gwen with a mixture of disgust and pity.

"Gwen, you've done brilliantly in training, one of the best I've seen. I look forward to fighting alongside you in battle." Arthur felt compelled to say something after his father had basically implied that he wants her to die.

Gwen looked up from her curtsy and smiled a small smile at Arthur.

Eager to move them on from such a tense situation, Lancelot broke the silence and said "Gwen, would you care to dance?", and he held out his hand for her.

"It would be my pleasure", and Gwen took Lancelot's hand. Arthur's eyes followed them as they walked away.

And off Gwen and Lancelot went to dance with all the other couples already on the floor, Arthur longed to be able to go over and ask Gwen for a dance but he had to do his royal duty first. After what felt like hours of greeting dignitaries and congratulating new knights eventually his duties were over and he finally had the opportunity to be able to ask Gwen. But he was nervous, she had been dancing with Lancelot most of the night and looked so happy. Arthur desired to be the one who made her smile like that. Who would want to dance with a knight when they could dance with a prince, and it was that mental attitude that made him go over to them.

"May I cut in?"

"Of course your highness", was Lancelot's agreeable response but his eyes told another story. Arthur realised that Lancelot was well on his way to falling in love with Gwen.

"My lady",

Lancelot bowed to them both as he left. As Arthur took her hand Gwen couldn't help but smile. As she looked at him, with that smile, his heart melted and he knew that he too was beginning to fall for her, and fall hard. Before they could even get to the end of one song, there was some trouble and Arthur had to be dragged away.

It turned out the rest of the knights were needed as well. A griffin, a creature with a body of a lion and the wings and head of an eagle, was a vicious beast and it had decided to attack Camelot. This one was especially dangerous as it had developed a taste for human blood. As the knights got into formation, shields surrounding the sides and others lifted to the sky, they attacked it with spears and burning arrows. Nothing was having even the slightest impact and eventually they had to retreat inside. They acknowledged they needed a new strategy. Arthur stormed off furious with himself for not being able to protect his beautiful Camelot and his people who live here. He anxiously paced around his room, kicking walls and throwing things. There was a knock at his door.

"Enter", Arthur growled.

"Sire, I think I have a plan." was Gwen's muted response.

"Well, spit it out", annoyed but calm Gwen continued to explain her idea. She argued that they should ride out and fight the griffin away from the castle and into the forest, forcing it to conduct the battle on the ground as opposed to flying and attacking them from above. Arthur listened intently and realised that not only was the girl beautiful and brave, she was intelligent as well. She could read people and situations and that was something Arthur valued. He agreed with her and said they would ride out as soon as day breaks. Once the message was sent out with the guards to the rest of the knights, Arthur and Gwen spent the rest of the night pouring over maps, plotting knights' locations and who would strike when. They spent along of time catching each other staring, their hands brushing against each other and laughing and joking with each other. There was even a bit of flirting going on. Gwen was beginning to fall asleep but she refused to go to bed determined to finalise the plan.

Eventually she fell asleep in her chair. Arthur looked at her, still in her gown from the ball, looking so peaceful but uncomfortable and he was overwhelmed by how protective he felt over her. He picked her up from the chair, and she stirred, looked up and him smiled before drifting off. He carefully placed her on his bed and covered her up with his sheets. He lay next to her, above the sheets, but the tension he felt meant he couldn't sleep. He hoped she wouldn't wake up and get mad at him. Maybe he should sleep on the floor instead? As he got up to move, Gwen turned round and faced him, "Don't go, please", she mumbled.

"Ssh, I'm not going anywhere." whispered Arthur.

"Good", she turned round and put his arm around her, and they both drifted off.

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><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed this chapter and continue to read on :). Thank you.<strong>


	3. The next morning

**Chapter 3 - Hope you enjoy!**

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><p>They woke up the next morning to Merlin gasping loudly. Arthur threw a pillow at him,<p>

"Nothing happened you idiot, we just need somewhere to sleep before fighting the griffin today."

"Sorry for disturbing you, Gwen would you like some breakfast?" Merlin asked, frantically trying to recover his composure.

"No thank you Merlin, I've got to go", Gwen squealed in an unusually high pitched voice. Her face had gone bright red and the look of horror in her eyes was enough to make Merlin crack up with laughter. She got out of bed and half walked/half ran to the door, almost knocking Merlin over in a desperate attempt to escape the painfully embarrassing situation.

Arthur missed her the minute she walked out the door. And that irritated him. He was not going to become that guy. He would not be some sappy idiot always thinking about a girl, especially a girl who appeared to like another anyway.

During their conversations the previous night Arthur never plucked up the courage to ask her about Lancelot or to tell that he had feelings for her. From her reaction this morning she would not be letting them have another opportunity to be so intimate again anytime soon and Arthur wondered if had let his chance pass him by. He dwelled on this thought until Merlin returned with breakfast.

Gwen was mortified. She knew she had not done anything wrong but still what was she thinking? Putting herself in such a compromising position with a man. And not just any man, Prince Arthur. HER BOSS! How could she have been so stupid? Mental note for the future, don't spend the night in a man's bed. Good plan.

She was not worried that Merlin would tell anyone, apart from maybe Gaius. O my gosh Gaius! He must have been so worried about her. And with that thought she quicken her pace and ran down the stairs and to the back of the castle. As she carefully opened the door to Gaius's chambers, praying she would not wake him, she found him already sat up and working at this desk. From the sight of him he hadn't been to bed yet.

"I'm so sorry Gaius, I was with Arthur and we got talking and I fell asleep and then Merlin came in…" Gwen voice trialled off as she realised Gaius didn't look mad. Just very tired.

Gaius signed wearily, "It's okay Gwen, but in future if you could let me know…"

Gwen interrupted him, "Of course Gaius, I would never dream of doing such of thing, not that it will ever happen again…" she started to mutter. Gaius just looked at her sleepily.

"It's fine Gwen. I'm just glad your home safe", he gave her a warm smile. "Now I must be off on my rounds, I will see you later, and Gwen…"

"Yes Gaius?" Gwen queried,

"Please keep safe today", his eyes were filled with worry.

"Of course I will, I'll see you later", Gwen hugged him.

After saying goodbye to Gaius, she went and got ready for battle. 'It would be so much easier if I had someone like Merlin to help out with this' Gwen thought to herself as she struggled getting the heavy armour over her head. Once dressed, she checked her reflection in the mirror. She almost didn't recognise herself. The girl in the mirror looked older, tired and anxious but also brave and strong. Gwen was terrified about her plan to defeat the griffin. She knew if she failed the knights, her friends, would die.

Gwen was the last one to arrive as the knights were grouping outside in the courtyard. As she joined the rest of the knights, Lancelot came over to greet Gwen and kissed her lightly on the cheek. She gave him a small smile and Arthur had to suppress the urge to punch Lancelot in the face.

"Lancelot, if you would mind not fraternising with your fellow knights as we prepare to face potential death, I would appreciate it", Arthur said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, causing the other knights to laugh which quickly died down with a glare from the prince.

"Sorry sire", Lancelot apologised sheepishly. Gwen on the other hand scowled at Arthur and went and held Lancelot's hand.

He has no reason to treat Lancelot like that. Lancelot had been a perfect gentleman the night before and all they had done was dance. Gwen was furious at Arthur for being petty about Lancelot and belittling him in front of the knights. But if she was being completely honest, she was annoyed at Lancelot as well for kissing her in front of the men. How was she meant to be taken seriously with that behaviour? She had not made her mind about Lancelot, and had not got any idea how she felt about Arthur. What she did know was that her first priority was to be the greatest knight she could be and as Arthur looked away she dropped Lancelot's hand.

Arthur ignored them both and launched into the plan to defeat the griffin. The knights got on their horses and rode off to the forest. It was not a long ride and they soon arrived in the clearing before the woods. As they entered into the mass of trees and bushes, the blackness seemed endless and the tension grew. They waited in the dark forest for hours, growing weary and hungry when eventually they saw the beast flying high above them. With a well-placed arrow, Arthur managed to get the griffin's attention. It came hurtling towards them but stopped as it came to trees and flew around trying to find an entrance into the forest path.

"Get ready! Aim, FIRE!"

Gwen had already realised it would take more the strength alone to defeat the griffin and as the arrows flew towards the beast, she cast a spell on each of them which allowed them to pierce its skin. Quietly muttering under her breath she cast the powerful spell and watched the arrows tips flash blue. As her eyes returned to their normal colour she observed the beast stumble and crash into some trees as it ran towards them. Her spell had not been strong enough to take down the creature. The arrows had punctured the skin but they had not managed to kill or maim it.

"Swords and into formation! FOR THE LOVE OF CAMELOT!" Arthur roared at the top of his lungs.

She watched her brave friends ride in to battle with a knowledge they were about to die, and the surge of emotion that rushed through her was the strength she needed to cast the spell again on the knights swords. Her eyes felt like they were burning but she rode alongside them regardless. She saw Arthur leading from the front and he was the first to slash at the beast. He made contact and the monster howled in pain. Then the rest of the knights caught up and attacked the griffin. Gwen went for one of its' front legs. They hacked and swiped and there were awful cries of pain, some so animalistic Gwen did not know if they came from man or beast. Leon was the man of the hour with a final stab straight into the monster's heart. There was no sound from the griffin, it simply collapsed on to the forest floor.

The battle was over. Gwen was overjoyed. She had done it! Her first spell in front of the knights and no one noticed a thing! Admittedly that was mainly due to the man eating monster running towards them but still. Arthur could not believe the plan worked. A lot of men were badly injured but no one died. Arthur himself had picked up a couple of scratches and noticed Gwen had a small cut across her arm.

As the knights rode back victorious there were great cheers and Gwen received a lot of pats on the back from her comrades. Her first battle and she helped come up with the plan and, although no one would ever know, saved the knights from certain slaughter. She was positively beaming as she rode back into Camelot, her face hurting from smiling. Arthur rode next to her on the journey back. He leaned over to her and whispered "Thank you."

"What for sire?" she asked puzzled.

"Last night", Arthur gave her a cheeky grin before continuing, "helping me come up with a plan."

"Oh it was nothing your highness", Gwen blushed.

Arthur felt a stirring somewhere new as he saw Gwen blush. He liked that with words alone he could make her cheeks go pink and his thoughts started to go along a train that would even make a sailor turn red.

He started talking to her about the feast that would now be put on tonight in honour of their great victory.

"I'm looking forward to seeing what you will wear tonight as I loved that red dress on you. It looked especially good lying in my bed."

Gwen's blushed deepen and her eyes widen. Arthur did not know what possessed him to say such things whether it was the high of victory or the growing feeling inside him every time she looked guilty and more red.

"It would be wonderful if I could finish my dance with you tonight and perhaps Merlin could wake us up again tomorrow?"

Now he knew he had gone too far but he just wanted to see her reaction.

"I'm afraid sire that you will be extremely disappointed. I'm sure Lancelot with make sure I am properly escorted home tonight."

"What?" Arthur blood started to boil. Gwen explained how on the way to battle Lancelot officially asked her out and she had agreed. They were now courting.

Gwen still was not entirely sure what made her say yes to him. She was extremely fond of Lancelot and he made her feel like a princess but she was not in love with him. In time she could see herself falling in love with him. He was a gentleman with a good job who clearly cared about her. Not many others would want her, as a female knight for a wife. She was about as desirable as an unwed mother. Perhaps that is why she said yes. However Arthur could not hear her internal monologue and asked,

"But why?"

Arthur could not understand, he thought she felt something for him.

Her response was a simple, "Because he loves me."

Arthur rode off and arrived back in Camelot significantly earlier than the rest of the army.

Another night, another ball. Gwen got yet another new dress, this time in a lovely deep purple which went beautifully with her caramel coloured skin. However she was not remotely looking forward to this ball. Arthur had looked so hurt when she said she was with Lancelot and that broke her heart. She couldn't work out how she felt about Arthur and knew they could never be so she settled for a man she believed would make her happy. Lancelot arrived at her door on time and looking very handsome but Gwen felt nothing. He seemed pleased to see her and that just made her feel even more miserable. She linked her arm with his and they entered the castle together. Lots of people came up to them and congratulated them as well as praised Gwen for her part in the plan. It was nice to feel accepted, if only for a brief time.

When they approached Arthur and Uther, the prince would not look at her. Uther thanked them through gritted teeth for their hard work and sent them on their way. Gwen and Lancelot danced for a bit but Gwen soon complained she was tired and they went and sat down. Lancelot was quickly requested for another dance with a pretty lady of the court and ever the gentleman he did not refuse. Gwen was grateful as it gave her some time to collect her thoughts.

She then felt a hand on her wrist and was dragged into a dark corner and down an empty corridor. The man pulled her in a doorway. Gwen would have fought back but she knew who it was from the first touch,

"Arthur, what do you want?" she asked confused.

"You" he replied and he kissed her hard.

She kissed him back and could taste the alcohol on his lips.

"Arthur are you drunk?" and Gwen gently pushed him back.

"No", he mumbled.

And he wasn't but he certainly was not sober either. He kissed her again, partly to shut her up, and started to move his hands down her body. As he started to caress the part of her breasts that were visible in the dress, Gwen shoved him off her,

"No Arthur, I can't and I won't."

And she walked off. Arthur felt completely rejected and regretted his actions instantly.

"Gwen", he yelled as he ran after her.

"Gwen, I'm sorry!"

As he arrived back into the banquet hall he saw Lancelot with his arm around Gwen's shoulders.

Arthur marched over to them, "Lancelot leave us", he commanded.

"I'm sorry sire but I am going to stay her with Gwen, she is quite upset", Lancelot calmly replied.

"Leave us", Arthur demanded firmly.

"No sire" was Lancelot's polite response.

"Leave us now or I will force you to leave us." Arthur roared.

"Sire, your upset, why don't you go outside and cool off?" was Lancelot's gentle reply,

And as Lancelot put his hand on Arthur's shoulder, Arthur swung and punched him in the face. Guards grabbed Arthur and Uther declared he was to go to his room and not be seen till the morning. Arthur shrugged off the guards and walked off to his room. The whole room watched him leave in silence. As soon as he was out of sight, the crowded erupted into squeals and gossip.

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><p><strong>Now for some individual thank you's.<strong>

**rallitsa - Thank you very much for reviewing.**

**BagginsPotterPevensie - Thank you very much for reviewing and advice. I hope you find this chapter is better paced :)**

**larasmith - I live for your reviews. They are so beautifully detailed and a joy to read. Thank you! **

**osept - Thank you and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**Tereshe - Gracias por revisar! Me encanta practicar mi español.**

**shana. - I hope you find Gwen just as strong in this chapter. Thank you :)**


	4. Whispers and Rumours

**This is a little bit of a plot mover chapter. As larasmith correctly pointed out, where was Merlin in the griffin battle? Well hope this is a good enough explanation. **

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><p>Gwen could see the whispers and rumours spreading amongst the crowd immediately Arthur exited the hall. She turned to Lancelot and asked him to take her home,<p>

"I'm not feeling very well", she lied but as they left the banquet hall and she sensed the crowd eyes' on her, her heart started to race, her head started thumping and her stomach tightened. Gwen panicked she might throw up. Gwen put her hand on the wall to steady herself and Lancelot noticed her face had gone quite pale. He put his arm around her waist and half carried her back to Gaius's.

"Gaius? Are you here?" Lancelot yelled as he barged the door open with his shoulder.

"Hello?" Gaius inquired, "Lancelot…Gwen, are you alright?", and he rushed over to her.

"She was taken ill at the feast. She was very upset about something, then there was some trouble with Arthur and she pretty much collapsed as I walked her home", Lancelot explained, with concern etched into his face. A large bruise had started to form around his eye. "Gaius, why were you not at the feast?"

Gaius smiled, noticed Lancelot's eye and then looked at Gwen as he answered, "I was hoping to get an early night. I didn't manage to get much sleep the night before". Gwen instantly looked guilty remembering the worry she had caused the old man. Gaius, the constant professional, then set to work.

Once Gaius had finished checking on Gwen, Lancelot saw them have a quick whispered conversation before he told her to get to bed and sleep. Off she went without a word. Looking over to Lancelot's worried face and rather red eye, Gaius enlightened him on her condition.

"Don't worry, she's fine. She is suffering from…erm… delayed shock. Obviously with the griffin attack this morning, it just got too much." Gwen rolled her eyes as she listened to Gaius lie on her behalf. How she wished he could have come up with a less girly illness.

"Yes of course, I will make sure she takes it easy for the next couple of days", Lancelot responded. "I will check on her tomorrow." _I'm sure you will, _Gwen muttered to herself_, lovely I'll have an overly protective Lancelot to deal with for the next couple of days. Fun times _she thought sarcastically.

"I'm sure she will appreciate that" and Gaius gave him cold, wet cloth for his eye and patted him on the back as he left. As the door shut, Gaius said, "He is good man who seems to care about you a lot Gwen, you know that right?"

Gwen crept round her door and sighed, "Yes, I know that. Thank you for covering for me. I just didn't want to deal with what happened at the feast tonight. I'm sure he has a hundred and one questions to ask."

"Well, I would not leave it too long. The guilt and worry is making you unwell. Goodnight Gwen", he kissed her head as he went to his room.

Gwen sat down on the cold hard bench in Gaius's lab. She put her head in her hands and wondered what to do. She knew what she should do but she couldn't face it. _I will just have to tell Arthur straight. I can't be with him, I don't want to be with him and if he banishes me from Camelot…_Her mental pep talk faulted. She didn't want to leave Camelot_. I love my job, I love Gaius and Merlin. Oh Merlin,_ she smiled to herself as she remembered their conversation only a few hours ago.

As the knights rode back in the Camelot, victorious after their defeat of the griffin, the crowd was deafening. But you could hear one voice above the rest, as Gwen saw Merlin running towards her as he elbowed and apologised his way to the front.

"Gwen! GWEN! YOU DID IT!" he shouted up to her.

She beamed back at him, got off her horse and walked with him back to the castle. The crowd followed after the rest of the knights and soon Merlin and Gwen were quite alone. Walking through the empty streets of Camelot, pulling her horse and in the company of a good friend, Gwen felt a sense of peace fill her.

"I knew you would do it but I was a bit worried, it's the first time I ever left Arthur in the care of someone else", Merlin rambled.

"Pardon?" asked Gwen confused, snapping out of her daydream.

"Well Kilgharrah said that I should trust you and that it will be good for you…." Merlin continued.

"Er…Merlin. Who's Kilgharrah?" She was thoroughly lost.

"Kilgharrah, you must know him? The great dragon, the only dragon left, locked up under the castle?" Merlin's eyes were wide with shock.

Gwen looked at him blankly.

"Oh well…there is this dragon locked up under the castle…" Merlin attempted to explain.

"Called Kilgharrah by any chance?" Gwen replied cheekily.

"Yes, anyway he is of the old religion like you and me and he said that the griffin attack was part of your destiny and you had to do it alone. It was very difficult I tell you watching you and Arthur ride out like that without me." Merlin frowned slightly.

"Oh…sorry?" she apologised not entirely sure what she was apologising for.

"Don't worry about it. It was to help you find the strength to perform even more powerful spells." Merlin grinned.

"Oh."

"This is a lot to take in. Don't worry I was exactly the same when I found out. Would you like a cup of tea?" he smiled warmly at her, clearly delighted to have someone to share things with.

"I would love one please" Gwen replied still rather confused.

And Gwen followed Merlin back to Gaius's. She had a million questions to ask but now was not the time. As soon as the water had boiled Merlin was sent for and off he ran to Arthur's side. _O__h Merlin,_ Gwen thought to herself. He really was a sweet boy, who had a lot to teach her about magic and the old religion. She wondered why her father had never told her about the dragon. Perhaps he was worried she would attempt to free Kilgharrah.

_Maybe Merlin and I could do something, two magic casters are better than one__,_ and with that thought she snapped back into reality. _After I talk to Arthur I doubt I'll even be allowed in Camelot let alone visit a dragon__._

"Humph!" she sighed loudly and leaned back on the table behind her.

_Well I'm just going to get this over with. Not point in sitting here and worrying!_ Gwen sat up, straightened her dress, chin held high and marched off towards Arthur's chambers.

As she approached Arthur's room she quietly put her head round the corner and whispered a spell. The guards outside the door started to snore and they both crumbled to the floor. As Gwen crept over them she mentally apologised to the guards and hoped they would not wake up with any bruises.

Gwen stormed into Arthur's room him expecting to have to wake him only to find him still up, sitting at his table with a look of fury in his eyes.

"Gwen?" he asked all anger vanishing. "What are you doing here, how did you get passed the guards…?

Panicked Gwen desperately tried to distract him from the whereabouts of the guards by screaming "How dare you attack Lancelot! What's he done to you?"

Admittedly, she thought to herself, not the greatest thing to have said.

"I'm sick to death of him sniffing around you," he roared right back as he sent the chair he was sat on flying backwards.

"Well he is allowed, we are courting after all", Gwen responded, cursing herself for getting completely off track.

"I hate seeing you together, it makes me angry", Arthur growled.

"Arthur what do you want to do? You know we could never be together and I don't want to be alone for the rest of my life, hoping for a couple of minutes a day with you, I can't do it. Lancelot loves me and I love him" was Gwen's comeback. She was glad she finally said what she was there to say even though tears began to form in her eyes. She angrily blinked them away.

Arthur looked at her, his blue eyes revealing nothing as he paced towards her. Gwen could hardly breathe as he approached her.

He gently cupped her face with his hands and whispered, "No, you don't" and kissed her.

She tried to pull away but Arthur kissed her harder.

"Gwen, I love you. I think I have since you nearly beat me in the guards' quarters all those weeks ago. I'm not good at this, I don't know what to do or what to say. But I ask, will you please choose me?" asks Arthur, never feeling more scared in his life. "I know it's a selfish request and I am sorry for that. I am truly sorry for my actions earlier this evening. I have no idea how to behave anymore when it's about you.

Gwen was quiet. She thought about all that she would have to give up, a life with a man who loves her, a man who is free to express his love for her, a family. In her mind's eye she saw herself surrounded by beautiful dark haired children with Lancelot still looking handsome in his old age. But as she looked deeply into Arthur's fear filled eyes she knew her answer and wondered if she was making the biggest mistake of her life.

"I will wait for you", she answered quietly.

"What?" Arthur stared at her completely taken back.

"I will wait for you", and she kissed Arthur with a smile on her face. She felt his slightly damp cheeks and knew she was making the right choice. "I just needed to know that you cared".

"How did you not know?" Arthur smiled back at her and knew that this was the beginning. He felt the rightness of his decision in the very depths of his soul.

He would one day be the first king to marry a commoner, and he would be the father of Gwen's children, the man she would grow old with. And he couldn't wait.

Suddenly there was a loud banging on Arthur's door and Merlin and some guards burst into the room. Arthur and Gwen jumped apart but nobody seemed to notice their guilty yet happy expressions on their faces. Apart from maybe Merlin who had a small smile on his face before it vanished completely and serious, wise Merlin took over.

"Sire, your needed urgently, Cenred's army are less than an hour away." Merlin stated.

"What? How could this have been allowed to happen?" Arthur was furious.

"Well with the feast last night and the one tonight, the guards and knights got a bit carried away…" one of the guards tried to explain but a glare from Arthur was enough to silence him.

Cenred's army was massing at Camelot's gates. Their timing was perfect as all the knights had been drinking and some were injured from the attack this morning. Arthur suspected that Cenred might have had something to do with the beast. But they went out regardless, with barely anytime to put their armour on. The knights fought bravely. A couple of men lost their lives that night however Cenred's army was eventually in retreat. It was only then when Arthur realised Gwen was nowhere to be found and must have been killed or kidnapped.

That was not exactly what happened. Gwen joined her fellow knights in the battle but her aim was Cenred. They shared a lot of history together and the thought of inflicting pain upon him was one she couldn't resist. Side by side she and the knights battled against the continuous surge of Cenred's men. Twisting and turning, slicing and stabbing, Gwen killed many men.

She also managed to save a man. Lancelot had been knocked to the ground with one of Cenred's soldiers stood above him, sword raised to strike. Gwen sneaked up behind and dug her sword deep into him. Blood gushed everywhere and she watched him fall face first. As Lancelot pushed the soldier off him, she gave him her hand and helped him up. Lancelot smiled at her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Gwen watched him go fearlessly back into the thick of fighting and wished she felt even of half of the love that he clearly felt for her. He would have been a great choice for a husband but she had to fall for an arrogant, conceited, egotistical prince.

She bravely battled her way to the main group of fighters protecting Cenred when she was captured by three soldiers who crept up behind her. They clawed at her arms, trying to restrain her while one attempted to disarm her. She was about to blast them apart and continue on her quest to kill Cenred when he turned to her, smirked and said,

"I wouldn't try using your fancy magic, I have something you want",

"Yeah and what would I possibly want from you?" Gwen spat out

"O, I don't know. Perhaps your best friend, remember Gwaine?" Cenred grinned.

The colour left Gwen's face and took her fighting spirit with it. "What have you done with him?"

"Nothing. Yet. Now come along with us Gwen and if you fight, he dies."

And that was how Gwen ended up in Cenred's dungeons, alone, unarmed and afraid.

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><p><strong>Please continue reading to the next chapter :) <strong>


	5. Cenred

**This chapter is significantly darker than anything I have written before. There is also one count of swearing. I am warning you now so no one will be offended. I hope you enjoy!**

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><p>Panic stricken, Arthur and the knights who were able, searched high and low for Gwen. They examined every room, interviewed every man, woman and child about her whereabouts. One brave knight even checked the ever growing pile of fallen civilians and knights.<p>

She was nowhere to be found and Lancelot finally voiced what Arthur had been dreading, "Sire, I think she's been kidnapped."

Arthur could not shake the image of Gwen's face out of his mind. He had witnessed Gwen and Lancelot's growing romance and knew they had something but he was selfish and it did not stop him wanting her. After their conversation earlier that night Arthur was convinced that Gwen was the woman for him. He never imagined settling down with someone he actually cared about. But where was she now? He had to find her. Arthur was adamant that the knights should be sent into Cenred's kingdom to rescue Gwen. Uther, on the other hand, was not even vaguely concerned.

"She's a knight father, and whether you like it or not it is our duty to rescue her!" Arthur pleaded.

"She knew what she was signing up for, it was her decision." Uther muttered coldly.

"But sire, she was clearly what he wanted. His knights retreated shortly after she was last seen. We must go and get her, who knows what he is doing to her! SHE MIGHT DIE!" Arthur cursed himself for letting his emotions get the better of him.

Uther raised an eyebrow and glared at Arthur, "Well, why I admire your passion for your knights' safety Arthur," Uther's voice thick with sarcasm, "that's the risk all knights take on a daily basis."

"You are not going to rescue her, it's too dangerous and I forbid it". Uther dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

"I don't care about what you forbid, I am going to save her," Arthur declared and begun to turn around when Uther sneered at him, "Really? You and what army?"

"I'll go with you sire", both Uther and Arthur looked behind them to find who had spoken.

"Who was that?" responded Uther ready to turn his anger on someone easier to punish.

"I said, I'll go with you sire", Lancelot repeated. "As will I sire", "And I", and this continued till about half the knights committed themselves to the mission. Arthur glanced over to Merlin who had a smile on his face and knew he would join them as well. Arthur appreciated Merlin's unfailing loyalty more than he would ever admit.

Uther was furious. He continued to yell and curse but eventually he accepted that he had lost this battle. Arthur and his men set off for Cenred's kingdom soon after the confrontation.

Gwen was having her own battle with a king. Cenred tormented her by refusing to let her see Gwaine. She didn't even know if he actually had him in the first place. Her room was spacious enough but as the days passed and she was still denied access to Gwaine, it became claustrophobic. Cenred humiliated her each night by making her dress up in ridiculous outfits and attend dinner with him. He would sit and leer at her while he told her all about his great plans for destroying Camelot and how she played a very special part in the grand scheme. He had always been very fond of Gwen, even when they were children.

Her mind wondered back to a simpler time, back to the days when her dad was around. Tom worked in the castle as the court magic caster. She used to love watching him perform his tricks and was so proud that her daddy was so important! Because of her father's prominence in court, he was allowed to reside in the castle. Therefore Gwen spent a lot of time in the castle and with the prince to be. She remembered playing in the mud with Cenred, chasing after rabbits in the forest and Cenred attempting to teach her to read.

At fourteen, she was completely overwhelmed when eighteen year old Cenred took a romantic interest in her. Gwen had assumed he looked upon her as a little sister but then he started hanging out with her all the time. She was so flattered that even his reputation as a playboy prince did not bother her. Gwen was completely oblivious and thought they would get married. She was a young girl in love and he used her. He was only after her magic.

At first it was all fun and games, childish behaviour such as scaring chickens and changing people's hair colour. But soon he became very demanding and their acts became more and more sinister. He would sit and laugh as she tripped people up using logs or branches, terrify children with images of monsters and set items on fire.

One day he convinced her to bring a statue of a lion to life. She knew what she was doing was wrong but she didn't want him to get angry with her. He was scary when he was angry. As the lion started roaring, she knew she had lost control. It attacked the closest livestock killing all the pigs and chickens. Eventually it turned on her. Cenred ran off the minute it came alive, not waiting to see what damage it would cause.

The lion ran towards Gwen and pounced. Gwen raised her arms to her face in a desperate attempt to protect herself. As her eyes started to shut and she whispered her prayers, a man jumped in front of her. She watched him being mauled, his body covered in scratches and the sound of the snapping of bones. The pain in the man's face was enough for her to find the power deep within to turn the lion back into a statue. But it was too late. The injuries the man sustained were too great and he died later that day. He was the first man she ever killed.

She snapped out of her daydream and felt sick to her stomach. She was banished from her home after that. The look on her dad's face when the king announced his verdict was an image she would never forget. He was so disappointed. It was then she pledged her life to the art of sword craft, vowing never to let another man die trying to protect her. She could not believe the change in Cenred. She remembered him as such a sweet boy, with long brown hair and big puppy dog eyes. _What happened to him? He grew up. He became a prince._

Cenred was many things but sweet was no longer one of them. He was cold, calculating and violent. He did not make empty threats and she was eventually allowed to see Gwaine. Gwaine was a stereotypical Irishman, always had a good one liner and a cheeky grin to match but what she saw was a broken shell of a man.

He was skinny and badly bruised, and did not acknowledge her presence when she entered his cell. Even in his tiny, dark and damp hole, he barely took up any room.

Gwen did not respond well to what she saw. She was filled with a rage that consumed her and words flooded of her mouth. Fireballs rained down in the corridor outside and she could hear men screaming in agony. She desperately tried to get Gwaine to stand up and move but he just stared at her blankly. He did not even seem to recognise her. The shock and disgust bolted her to the floor and the soldiers managed to overpower her. She was dragged by her arms and hair, kicking and screaming to Cenred. Gwen ended up being chained to a pillar in his throne room.

"You bastard, what has he ever done to you? Why would you treat him like that?" Gwen screamed.

She was furious, her anger radiated out of her and it suddenly dawned on Cenred that Gwen's powers had grown significantly more than he had imagined.

The days had been long and tiring as the knights ventured further into Cenred's territory and closer to Gwen. Lancelot was very vocal about his need to rescue Gwen and how much she meant to him. Some of the other knights teased him about it but mostly they were quiet, thinking of their own special women back home. Merlin tried to keep everyone's spirits up by cracking jokes and making sure there enough to eat but soon even he fell silent. Arthur barely spoke at all except to give orders and the rest of the knights were worried about him. He hardly ate or slept and constantly pushed them onward.

Arthur couldn't stop. He imagined the awful things Cenred could be doing to Gwen. He could not get over the fact that Cenred would risk war with Camelot just to get one girl. Arthur simply didn't understand why Gwen was so important to him and could only guess that he must be madly in love with her. That realisation took his already paranoid thoughts to a horrible place indeed.

When they made it to the castle, it was easy to take out the guards and enter into the courtyard. Cenred had clearly not expected Uther to send anyone after him. Arthur and his knights arrived soon after Gwen had been dragged into the throne room and chained. As they crept into the castle, they could hear her screaming at Cenred and Arthur ran to her voice without a second thought for his or his knight's safety.

As Arthur burst into the throne room with the other knights close behind, Gwen broke free from her chains and blasted Cenred across the room. She glanced up at the intruder, ready to knock the soldier flying backwards. The look in Arthur's eyes was enough to break her rage and she felt as if she had been the one thrown across the room.

As the other knights filled the throne hall it was obvious only Arthur had seen her cast her magic. But he was the one who mattered and Gwen knew she would never be able to return to Camelot. However, what mattered at the moment was getting Gwaine out of there. She readied herself and finally looked Arthur in the eye. From the look on his face, Gwen knew things had changed.

Arthur regarded at Gwen with a mixture of love and hate, wonder and fear, not knowing which emotion was stronger. The lessons instilled in him from birth about the darkness of magic and the people who used it or the love in his heart for this completely unique woman.

Gwen did not give him any time to work it out as she shoved her way out of the throne room and down into the dungeons. Arthur chased after her, calling her name and managed to catch up with her. He grabbed her wrist roughly and slammed her up against a wall.

"What are you?" he shouted,

"What do you think I am?" she shouted right back.

"A witch", a word he said with such loathing in his voice that Gwen tried to recoil from him. Feeling incredibly hurt and frightened, Gwen stared him straight in the eye and with a lot more confidence than she felt said,

"Yeah I am, what are you going to do about it? Kill me?"

The passion in his eyes grew and Gwen didn't know if Arthur was about to hit her or kiss her. She shut her eyes and braced for impact. The fear that filled Gwen's face was enough to calm his anger and Arthur leaned in, rested his forehead against hers and sighed deeply.

"We will need to talk about this", he whispered.

"Yes sire", Gwen nodded.

"Now let's get out of here", and he tried to pull her back towards the entrance.

"Not without Gwaine!" and she shoved Arthur off her and ran down the cells till she reached Gwaine's. With a quick spell and a good kick the door opened. Gwaine cowered in a corner, still seemingly unaware of who she was but between the two of them they managed to get Gwaine out of the castle and back to Camelot.

The ride back to Camelot was long and difficult. On the positive side, the fresh air seemed to be doing Gwaine some good and he was beginning to talk in coherent sentences again. He remembered who Gwen was one eventful night after a long day of riding. Gwen settled down to get some sleep, when out of nowhere, this great hairy beast flew at her and started to…hug her? Turned out it was Gwaine who had finally regained some of his memories but not before half of the knights had their swords drawn and pointing at him.

Gwen was confused. She was delighted to be with Gwaine again but she wondered if Gaius would be able to heal him completely. Arthur had not spoken to her since their incident in the castle whereas Lancelot would not stop talking to her. She still had not been able to tell him that she no longer wanted to be with him but couldn't announce it in front of the men. And more importantly, she had no idea if Arthur even wanted to be with her anymore. Merlin was the only thing that kept her sane on that long ride home. As they saw Camelot in the distance, Gwen no longer felt like she was returning home. She felt like she was riding to her death.

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><p><strong>Thank you for reading this slightly different chapter. If you enjoyed it please read and review. It makes all the effort worthwhile :) <strong>


	6. Revelations

**Chapter 6 - Heavily Arwen based. Quite dark at the beginning, brightens up towards the end.**

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><p>When they arrived back in Camelot they were greeted by a massive crowd of cheering locals. Arthur and the boys lapped it up but Gwen, Gwaine and Merlin took another quieter route into the castle. Gwaine had steadily improved on the journey home but there was still a lot of work to be done. He still had a couple of broken bones as well as suffering mental trauma.<p>

One night on the journey back to Camelot, Gwaine and Gwen went for a short walk. In the dark, damp forest Gwaine admitted some of what he had been through. He had been in Cenred's custody for months and was tortured until he revealed Gwen's location. His eyes began to fill as he begged Gwen to forgive him. She sat him down on a log and hugged him while he apologised over and over again. She could feel him shaking as he told her about what Cenred had done to him. Gwen kissed his head and told him it was all going to be okay. They sat on that log for hours.

After that night, things became a lot clearer and Gwen had been able to explain to Gwaine about her situation, her job and her friends. Gwaine practically fell off his horse in excitement when she said she had been made a knight.

"I can't believe it! You did it! All those tournaments, all that time we spent practising! It actually worked!" Gwaine beamed from ear to ear. "So what your dad said about the blood oath with Uther was true then? Bloody hell!"

It gave Gwen great delight to see her friend so happy for her. As she was new to Camelot she had not really been able to celebrate her accomplishment with anyone.

"When we get back, it's time to celebrate! To the tavern!" Gwaine yelled.

Gwen giggled at her friend, pleased he was clearly on the mend. Merlin laughed loudly on the horse next to her. He and Gwaine became friends almost instantly and Merlin promised to help them out in any way he could. Gwen silently suspected he was planning on healing Gwaine's mental anguish through magic. While physically Gwaine was healing, he would still wake up during the night, screaming for Gwen and begging the men from his nightmares to leave him alone.

As they approached the walls of Camelot castle, Gwen was gripped by fear. What was Arthur going to do? Was she riding in a trap? If he told Uther, the walls of Camelot was not a sensible place to be. In her mind's eye she saw guards knocking down Gaius's door, Merlin and Gwaine trying to protect her and dying for their efforts. She saw herself being lit on fire as Arthur simply stood there and watched. She tried to take some deep breaths, desperate to get some air into her lungs and relax her thumping heart. She had explained to the boys what Arthur had seen in Cenred's castle and they knew Camelot might no longer be safe.

Merlin leaned over and squeezed her hand. "You're going to be fine," he whispered. "We've got to do this, we need Gaius to take a look at Gwaine." Gwen nodded and rode into the castle.

They dismounted and put their horses in the stables, which deserved a well-earned break and slowly walked to Gaius's.

Gwen gently knocked at the door before she entered, a bit wary of how Gwaine would react to someone new. Fortunately he really was on the mend and broke the ice with a joke before going over and shaking Gaius's hand. Gwaine went into minor details about what he had experienced in Cenred's dungeon, enough to identify key areas that needed to be looked at but spared Gwen the pain of listening to what her friend had been through. She bid them goodbye and went to bathe.

A couple of hours later and there was a knock at the door. A guard announced that Gwen was to meet Prince Arthur on the outskirts of the wood for training. After having some time to get clean and get changed into a dress, she felt much more composed to talk to Arthur. The guard raised an eyebrow as he escorted her to training while she was wearing a dress but he was far too disciplined to say anything.

He politely let them be as they approached Arthur. When she saw him waiting for her still in his chainmail, she instantly felt guilty, knowing he would have come straight from explaining himself to the king. She wondered if Arthur was about to kill her. Arthur smiled when he saw her which can only be a good sign. Or it could be a trap. Gwen kept her guard up, ready to flee if she needed to.

They went for a walk through the fields by the woods, at first taking about nothing in particular but then Arthur abruptly said,

"So you're a witch then",

Gwen went on the defence straight away,

"Yes, I was born this way."

He went quiet. After a short silence, he finally spoke up.

"What can you do?" Arthur asked curiously.

Taken back Gwen answered with surprising honesty, "As far as I'm aware, anything apart from bring people back from the dead".

"Can you show me something…please?" Arthur asked hesitantly.

And that was all the promoting Gwen needed to show Arthur exactly what she could do. From turning the grass purple, allowing the birds to speak with human voices and causing clouds in the sky to form patterns, Gwen showed Arthur a wide range of magic. She started to get completely caught up in the freedom of the act that she did not realise what Arthur was going through. Arthur was terrified at first and had to fight an instinctive desire to attack Gwen. He forced himself to relax and allowed himself to enjoy her abilities. He couldn't stop staring at her. She was just so peaceful, happy, and free. She practically danced as she cast, glowing with delight at every spell and showed such vulnerability that Arthur knew no man had seen for a very long time. Gwen spun round and caught him staring at her.

"I'm sorry sire, I got carried away", Gwen immediately returned everything back to its original state and looked embarrassed.

"You don't need to apologise, or call me that. Call me Arthur", and he gave a wide smile.

"Okay Arthur", Gwen gave a cheeky grin," I'm sorry for showing off".

"There is no need, your amazing, what you can do, is simply incredible", Arthur looked at her with complete admiration in his eyes.

That comment and acceptance of her just filled Gwen to brim with love and she ran over and hugged him tight. Caught by surprise he fell backwards and on to the grass.

"Thank you", she whispered breathlessly.

"What for?" Arthur mumbled.

"For accepting me, just as I am. When you didn't talk to me on the ride home, I thought…" Gwen hesitated and rolled off him on to the grass.

"You thought I hated you?" Arthur filled in the blanks.

"Yes."

"Well, to be honest I did." Arthur was still lying on the grass looking up at the blue sky above him. He did not see Gwen's face drop at his revelation. She was deeply hurt but she understood. "I was all ready to turn you over to my father. I was completely convinced you had bewitched me and tricked your way into being a knight. I mentally rehearsed the conversation in my head, preparing myself to betray you but as I entered his throne room he launched into a massive rant about you and how you have corrupted my mind. He went on and on about how disappointed he was and how stupid I was to risk my life for a female knight, for an embarrassment against the knights of Camelot. Before I knew it, I was defending you more passionately than I have ever spoken in my life. It was then I realised that witch or not, I was still willing to defy my father for you."

"Wow, Arthur, thank you", Gwen was overwhelmed.

"You're welcome, but I do have some questions to ask," Arthur responded. He sat up and looked directly at her.

"I can assure you Arthur, I haven't bewitched you, I would never do something like that, it's just pathetic and manipulative and…" Gwen gushed and hugged her knees tight.

Arthur laughed and interrupted her, "Oh don't worry about that, I've been bewitched before with a girl called Vivian," a name he said which distaste, "It dawned on me during my fight with my father, that the way I feel for you is in no way similar to how I felt about Vivian. I should have realised sooner but my hatred consumed me. "

"But what I am still in the dark about is how you convinced my father to let you become a knight. Please tell me it wasn't because of magic," Arthur's faced filled with concern and distrust.

"Oh no, magic had nothing to do with that. Well not really." Arthur shot her a glare. "Not my magic anyway," Gwen quickly clarified. Arthur still looked wary. "It was my dad, and your dad. Look I'll just start at the beginning. When your dad was younger, he wondered into Caerleon's territory.

"What? Caerleon? As in Cenred's father?" Arthur interrupted, his mouth opened in surprise.

"The very same," Gwen confirmed.

"Why? How could he have been so stupid?" Arthur was furious.

"Well lucky for him, he met my dad. The king had been caught in Caerleon's land and had been set upon by some of his men. He had been shot in the back with an arrow and had collapsed under some shrubs. The soldiers left him to die. My dad was out collecting herbs for a potion and stumbled upon him. Under Caerleon's law, my dad should have reported him but he didn't. My father healed him, using magic," Gwen explained.

"So my father knows you've got magic then?" Arthur burst out.

"No, no, no, your father was unconscious," Gwen reassured him, "he was close to death and my dad saved him at a great risk to his own life."

"I wish I could have met your father. He sounds like a great man," Arthur replied gently.

"He was a great man," Gwen smiled sadly to herself and continued on with her story.

"Anyway, the king came too and realised my father had saved him. As he had nothing on him to pay him back, he swore a blood oath instead, bestowing upon him the great honour he could. He vowed my father's oldest child would be allowed to try and become a knight, regardless of their class. Your father was young and inexperienced otherwise he would never have committed to something so powerful."

"Yes, I know that. He always told me never to swear one. So that's how you did it. I must admit I am quite relieved," he smiled down at her and she lay back on the grass.

They spent an amazing couple of hours together, lying on the grass, hands entwined and getting to know each other. The secrecy that held Gwen back had affected Arthur as well and they were able to be incredibly honest about themselves. They had accepted that they could not be a couple now but in the future things would change and that they would both wait until that time. Neither one of them liked this plan but there was no other option. Meeting for secret romantic rendezvous was out of the question but they would do their best regardless.

Arthur asked Gwen what she was going to do about Lancelot. She admitted she did not know but she did not want to hurt him.

"I'm just going to tell him that I'm not ready to be committed to anyone", Gwen answered.

"You know that excuse will not last for long, eventually you will be expected to marry", Arthur warned her.

"As will you", Gwen retorted.

Arthur ignored that comment and turned his attention to why Cenred wanted Gwen in the first place. Gwen explained that Cenred intends to destroy Camelot but requires a magic caster in order to defeat the knights of Camelot.

"Do you think he'll look for another witch?" Arthur asked.

"I'm certain of it," Gwen replied.

"Why did he come after you? And capture Gwaine?" Arthur asked curiously.

"He knew my powers were strong, and I think he planned to use Gwaine as a way of controlling me." Gwen explained some of her past. She concluded with the story of the lion and being banished from Caerleon's land.

Arthur turned to Gwen and gently stroked her face. "Thank you for trusting me, and if I ever see Cenred again, I will kill him," he said through gritted teeth.

"Not if I get him first", Gwen smiled at him.

She pulled his head closer to her mouth and whispered in his ear, "Oh and if you tell anyone what I've just told you, I will hunt you down."

Arthur smirked, "is that a challenge?"

Gwen's response was to bite his ear just hard enough to cause a little bit of pain.

"Ouch" replied Arthur but he was only teasing.

She moved down his neck kissing him lightly as she went before giving him a quick kiss on lips and ran off back to Camelot. Arthur watched her as she ran and wondered just what he got himself into.

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><p><strong>I needed a nice Arwen chapter as they've not had many in my story so far. I hope your still intrigued about Cenred's master plan and Gwen's past.<strong>

**I apologise now as it will be awhile till the next chapter. I'm back at university and extremely busy but p****lease keep reviewing as you make my day :) **

**Btw, for all the people who love the legend I am very sorry but I don't really know that much about it. I have no idea if Cenred is part of it or not but the reason his dad is called Caerleon is because that's who G****waine's dad was a knight for (in the show) thought this would be a nice link if I expand on the Gwen and Gwaine friendship.**


	7. Tavern Times

**A/N I know its been ages. I am truly sorry! Third year of university is hard work. However here it is, the next chapter. I hope you like it. It's probably not worth the wait but I wanted to put something up so you knew I was still alive and that I will finish this story eventually. I hope you enjoy it.**

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><p>Gwen half ranhalf skipped back to the castle, her face brimming with happiness. She slowed down as she approached the castle walls, forcing herself to be composed and walk normally. _Wouldn't want to do anything to attract any more unwanted attention_, she thought to herself. Gwen couldn't believe how well the conversation had gone with Arthur. _He doesn't hate me!_ A smile started to spread across her face again as she thought back to those wonderful hours. He finally knew her deepest secrets and still wanted to be with her. Gwen sighed a breath of relief and felt the worry slowly leaving her body.

As she walked through the palace gates and down the corridors to Gaius's, her mind keep drifting back to her conversation with Arthur. She had told him everything. All about her life, even the story about the lion. She had been so worried about how he would react but he simply held her in his arms and listened as she continued with her tale.

She had been expelled from the kingdom and her father had decided to leave with her, even though the King begged him to stay, and they spent the next four years travelling around the country. Gwaine and his mother came with them as well. Gwen suspected her father and Gwaine's mother had become very close but she would not dishonour them but speculating any further.

It was Gwaine who taught Gwen all about sword fighting so she would always be able to defend herself. He understood what she had done and that she might be dangerous but he was not remotely bothered. That was the best thing about Gwaine, he accepted everyone.

Together they entered tournaments, with Gwen fighting under the name Thomas Sparks Jr. At first it was very difficult indeed, the boys were older and stronger than she was but she was determined to win and learnt how to play to her strengthens. Her speed and quick thinking soon dominated the battlefield and her reputation grew.

It became her dream to be a knight in her own right and under her own name but this dream could never became a reality. As she got older, it became harder for her to pretend to be a boy. Her beautiful figure, one that so many girls would kill for, became the thing she hated most as her curves were too obvious to hide.

Arthur piped in at this point to agree "Yes Gwen, your curves are very hard to miss".

She playfully slapped his hand and continued with her story.

Her father had become very ill by this point and there was nothing Elizabeth, Gwaine's mother, or Gwen could do to heal him. One night, when her father was very feverish, he told her about the blood oath between himself and Uther. He was adamant that Gwen should claim her rightful title. Unfortunately he did not last the night. Elizabeth was distraught and Gwaine decided it would be best for his mother to have some stability instead of living the nomadic existence.

He arranged for them to return back to his mother's homeland. Gwen promised she would visit them but first she would venture to Camelot and become a knight. That's when they split up. Gwaine was captured on his way to Camelot to find Gwen.

"That is quite a story," Arthur said after she had finished.

"Yes. There is nothing else left to tell you now," she replied.

"Well, is there anything you would like to ask me?"

"No…" she hesitated.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Its about the girl you spoke of before, Vivian?"

"Yes, what about her?" Arthur asked surprised.

"Well…from what I know of love spells…in order to break them…you have to kiss your true love…I was wondering who your true love was…," she mumbled.

"Oh I didn't kiss anyone," Arthur smiled.

"What?" Gwen asked confused.

"Yeah, Merlin and Gaius found her true love instead. He was one of her knights. They explained to him the situation and arranged for him to kiss her while I was in the room. I saw her kiss her true love, which broke the spell's hold on her, which removed the curse from me as well. Apparently it was pretty close call, had I not been looking at the right time and missed it, I could still have been in love with her now," Arthur explained.

Gwen was silent.

"Or at least I would have been, until you kissed me," he finished quietly.

Gwen smiled at the memory and her heart started fluttering again.

She realised she was stood outside Gaius's and took a deep breath before she knocked on the door and let herself in. She was greeted by someone launching themself at her and picking up her.

"Gwen!" Gwaine yelled in glee spinning round with Gwen in his arms.

"Gwaine!" she squealed.

"So you survived the encounter with his lordship then? I was beginning to get worried," Gwaine grinned at her.

Gwen rolled her eyes, "Of course my darling".

He put her back on her own two feet and gave another massive hug and big kiss.

"It's wonderful to see you looking so happy Gwen, how did our royal clotpole react?"

"Clotpole?" Gwen asked.

"HEY! Don't go stealing my word!" Merlin yelled as he wandered down the steps from his room and slapped Gwaine on the back. "But in all seriousness, how did Arthur react?"

Gwen could see the glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"Well…" and Gwen filled them in on what Arthur said. As she explained Arthur's original plan, the whole wanting to report her to his father idea, she noticed as Gwaine's hand clenched into a fist and his face set in a grim smile. Her heart broke as she watched the hope leave Merlin's eyes and his face drop. They were pleased Arthur had decided not to be an idiot and clearly cared about Gwen but there was an unspoken understanding that Merlin could not reveal his magic anytime soon. An uneasy silence fell upon them as they contemplated their fate in Camelot.

Gwaine was never one to keep the atmosphere depressed and broke the silence with,

"I'm planning on sticking around for a while if that's okay?"

Gwen grinned, "Yeah that would be amazing!"

"Where are you staying?" he asked.

"Err…with Gaius at the moment," Gwen muttered and she looked over to the pile of blankets that had been her bed.

"Well that's not right! I was talking to the lovely Morgana earlier and she has a spare room. She is expecting you tonight," Gwaine announced.

"Gwaine, you big softie! Where are you staying then?" she replied cheekily.

"Oi," Gwaine's mouth opened in shock, his eyes wide.

She stuck her tongue out in reply.

Gwen was happy. She had got to know Morgana very well during her time in Camelot and was looking forward to moving in with her.

Gwen and Gwaine laughed and giggled as they moved Gwen into Morgana's. Morgana was delighted to have the company as she had been very lonely since her dad died. Gwaine was making himself comfy on the floor of the girls' house.

He stood up and examined his hard work. He clapped his hands together and said, "Well my beautiful ladies, to the tavern!"

Gwaine linked arms with the girls and they walked off to the tavern. Merlin spotted them on their way and joined them. As they arrived, they saw a couple of the knights at one of the tables.

They went over and said their greetings.

Gwen turned to Percival and asked, "Where's Lancelot?"

"He's on guard duty with Leon. But I'll let him know you were asking after him," Percival winked at her.

"O yeah thanks," Gwen replied with a small smile. _Oh great, now he is going to get even more of the wrong idea._

Percival returned her smile and she wandered over to the next table with her friends.

Gwen and Gwaine giggled and teased each other all night, the way they always have, but it was clear he only had eyes for one lady that night, her new housemate. Merlin joined in the banter with the occasional one liner.

It was beginning to get very noisy and jolly in tavern but then Arthur entered. The place fell silent and everyone's eyes turned to stare at the crown prince. Whispers started across the room.

"What is he doing here?"

"Do you think he'll punch someone again?"

"Is he drunk?"

Gwaine in his typical manner, broke the tension and invited the prince over without a care in the world.

"Hey princey, come and sit with us!" Gwaine waved him over.

"Gwaine", Gwen nudged him in the ribs, "You've got to be respectful," while Merlin's hand flew to his mouth to prevent himself from bursting out in laughter.

Arthur wandered over to them and the tavern watched his every move. There were general acknowledgements of "Sire" and "My lord". Arthur slid himself on to the bench next to Gwen who was sat with Gwaine, Merlin and Morgana.

Gwaine was never one for a dull moment and he grabbed Morgana and Gwen's hands and started to dance. Soon the party was in full swing once more with Arthur being included as a friend and not a prince. Arthur was quite jealous of Gwaine and Gwen's obvious friendship but he understood that Gwaine was more of a brother than a lover. Plus Gwaine could not stop going on about Morgana which helped. It was nice to be in such a friendly, relaxed atmosphere, treated as an equal and not a superior. He and Merlin could socialise in a way they have never been able to do in public before.

He liked being part of the friendship group and he appreciated how much of an effort they made to make him feel involved. Gwen kept catching his eye and even laughed at his jokes. Secretly thought, he was quite happy to watch the girls and Gwaine dance, and watch Merlin attempt to dance, to their songs while for once he could just be in the background.

Watching Gwen look so happy made him feel at peace. They had finally been able to have a dance but it was just the one. She was still a taken woman and he was a prince. He could not be too friendly with her.

He never craved so hard for a normal life more than he did right now.

But all good things must come to an end. Gwen and Morgana attempted to carry Gwaine home but were failing so Arthur gently pushed them out of the way and half carried, half dragged Gwaine home. Morgana saw to it that Gwaine was comfortable and Gwen wished Arthur goodnight.

Thanking her for a wonderful evening, Arthur bowed and kissed her hand, "Goodnight my lady." Gwen was rather taken back by such a sign of humbleness and affection and she smiled warmly at him in response.

Arthur walked off and back into the castle with Merlin. As the castle walls came into sight, Arthur noted how the castle seemed more like a prison than a home.

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><p><strong>I do hope you enjoyed it. Once more, I am sorry its been ages. I am sorry that it will be ages again till the next chapter. Please review as it does encourage me to spend time writing fanfic :)<strong>


	8. Lancelot

**Hey guys! I am soooo sorry its been forever. I've graduated and got a wedding to plan so its been a busy year. Also I'm not entirely sure this chapter was worth the wait but hopefully people are still invested in it. I will try and update more regularly from now on. **

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><p>It was time to deal with Lancelot. Gwen had been dreading this moment for weeks. Between her developing duties and responsibilities as a knight and moving in with Morgana, she had successfully managed to avoid any significant alone time with him. But Arthur was beginning to get impatient. He made no secret of his dislike for Lancelot and regularly criticised him during training. Last week he humiliated Lancelot by ordering him to clean out the stables as a punishment for staring at Gwen. He interrupted field exercises in order to deliberately announce the reprimand in front of everyone.<p>

"Lancelot, I have asked you for the last time to focus," Arthur yelled from his horse, "If you could give us your attention for five minutes instead of ogling Gwen, we might actually get some work done today."

"Sorry sire," Lancelot bowed his head as he rode past Arthur to regroup with the rest of the knights. Gwen blushed and was immediately annoyed with Arthur.

"I haven't finished," Arthur said coldly. Everyone fell silent as Lancelot turned round and walked his horse back to Arthur. Gwen glared at Arthur but he ignored her.

"Yes sire?" Lancelot asked politely, his face expressionless but with a hint of anger in his eyes.

"I think you need to learn to appreciate your position. You seem to be getting too big for your boots. How about a week mucking out the horses? Would that suit you?" Arthur sneered.

Gwen hated this side of Arthur. She hoped it was only his jealously and arrogance talking and not something deep inside him. And it was moments like this when she saw why she could love Lancelot.

"Of course sire. Would you like me to begin now or after I've finished training?" Lancelot's tone was respectful.

"You have to finish training. Now get back to work," Arthur shouted.

"Yes sire," Lancelot bowed his head and walked his horse back to his fellow knights. He lifted his head as he rode past Gwen and gave her a small smile. The rest of the knights kept silent until Arthur was out of earshot. Lancelot was then surrounded by men patting him on the back and saying how unfair Arthur had been. Lancelot just smiled at them in return and kept his mouth shut. He was such a good man.

For Gwen, situations like that were just awkward. She wanted to be seen as an equal, not some girl who caused tension between the prince and one of the best knights in Camelot. Many of the locals believed that Lancelot was indeed the best knight, others said it was Arthur. Gwen privately thought that given a chance, she might prove the best knight of them all. But she never voiced this belief but waited until the day she would show them on the battlefield instead.

Gwen's heart ached at the memory of that day, and it ached at the thought of hurting Lancelot. Was she making the right decision? She had no idea. But there was something about Arthur, something about the way he looked at her, the way he held her, that made her think he was different. She knew her relationship with Arthur would never be as easy as the one she would have had with Lancelot but she wanted a man who would challenge her, a man who would argue with her and ignite a passion in her heart. Lancelot was nice, agreeable, trusting, there would never be any drama with him. For some girls he would be the prefect man, but not for Gwen. She loved the mixed up, confused, possessive, jealous, arrogant, rude, spoiled, stressed king to be. Gwen laughed at herself. She never chose the easy route.

She had arranged to go for a walk with Lancelot, perhaps wander into the forest for some privacy. She didn't think the conversation would go badly, Lancelot was far too much of a gentleman to cause a scene and she suspected he might have an inkling about what she was going to say. He came and met her from her door with a flower. She smiled warmly at him, put the flower in her hair and took his offering hand. They walked hand in hand through the town and out into the forest. They chatted and caught up about the last couple of weeks and it was nice. Gwen hoped they would remain friends after the break up.

Gwen took a deep breath and began, "Lancelot, there is something we need to talk about."

"It's over isn't it?" Lancelot calmly replied. He continued walking and looking straight ahead.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said yes in the first place and I shouldn't have let it continue for so long," Gwen apologised.

"It's because of him," Lancelot didn't even have to ask.

"No, it's not, it's me. I'm not ready for a commitment…" Gwen tried to explain.

"Don't lie to me please Gwen," Lancelot interrupted. He stopped suddenly and looked at her.

"I know it's because of Arthur. Do you think I'm blind? Or that nobody knows? You both have to get better with your acting skills if you want to pretend that nothing is going on. All the knights know." Lancelot was beginning to get angry.

"Everyone knows?" Gwen squeaked.

"Yes but they won't tell Uther. You should have more faith in your friends."

"I am sorry, Lancelot, truly I am," Gwen apologised again.

"I know you are," Lancelot regained his composure. He bent down and kissed her forehead.

"Be careful though. He is a prince. The Prince. The future King of Camelot. Do you truly believe he will be allowed to court you? And you can't even thinking about getting married to him?"

Gwen just looked away into the distance.

"You're joking. You honestly believe that this relationship will have a happy ending? Gwen you are a wonderful, beautiful woman. You deserve better than a secret relationship with no future." Lancelot stroke Gwen's cheek and gently moved her face till she was looking at him.

"I'm sorry if I upset you. You know I will always be here if you need me." He smiled down at her and held out him arm.

She gave him a small smile, put her arm through his and they walked back arm in arm.

He had given her a lot to think about. He was right about the sneaking around, it was beginning to get a bit worrying. Arthur never wanted to talk about their future or the possibility of telling his father. She thought she understood. But she had trusted him with her biggest secret, a life threating secret and felt like she was standing on the edge of cliff in her relationship with Arthur. She could fall at any minute if things went badly. And he didn't seem willing to join her on the edge. She sighed heavily and let her head drop on to her pillow.

"Something troubling you?" asked Morgana as she poked her head round the door into Gwen's bedroom/wash area from her own bedroom/kitchen.

"Nothing important."

"How did it go with Lancelot today?" Morgana asked concerned.

"He was the perfect gentleman, the way only Lancelot could be when someone decides to lead him on and break his heart," Gwen answered.

"You didn't lead him on…" Gwen shot her a look, "…well not a lot anyway. He must have known it was coming though. You weren't the most affectionate girl in the world and it's plain for everyone to see how Arthur feels about you."

"Yeah, he knew about that too, does everyone know? Is it that obvious?" Gwen asked frustrated.

"His feelings are. Yours are much better hidden," Morgana explained. All she got in response was a heavier sigh. "I'll make us some dinner and we talk about it okay?"

"Thank you"

Dinner was a mixture of vegetables and herbs. It was quite nice but Morgana was not much of a cook.

"Thank you for dinner"

Morgana smiled, "It was a pleasure. Are you feeling any better?"

"No, not really. Morgana can I ask you a question?"

"Of course you can,"

"And I want a completely honest answer, not what you think will make me feel better," Gwen demanded.

"Okay…" Morgana looked hesitant.

"Do you think me and Arthur could have a future together? An actual married, children, King and Queen future?" Gwen asked.

Morgana's face immediately dropped and she avoided meeting Gwen's eyes. Morgana started poking her leftovers with a fork.

"Morgana…?" Gwen attempted to get an answer.

"Honestly…I don't know. Arthur clearly has feelings for you. But you're not the first girl he has had feelings for and I'm not sure whether they are strong enough for him to ever go against his father or his duty. You have to understand that you are asking a lot of him?

"Yes, I know…," Gwen was devastated.

"I'm really sorry if I've upset you," Morgana leaned over and patted Gwen's hand.

Gwen shook her head, "Don't worry about it. I needed to hear that."

"You realise that you're probably talking to all the wrong people. Why don't you just ask Arthur?"

"I'm not entirely sure that I want to hear his answer," Gwen admitted.

Morgana smiled at her in sympathy.

The next morning Gwen woke up with a plan. She was not this girl. She was not the girl who spent the night moaning to her friend about man problems. Or any problems for that matter. Gwen was a fighter, a survivor and it was about time she remembered who she was. It was time to talk to Arthur about where they were and where they were going.

Gwen got dressed, grabbed some fruit and headed out the door to the castle. Morgana saw the determined look on her friend's face and smiled. This was the Gwen Morgana had grown fond off, the strongest girl she knew, mentally and physically.

Gwen knocked loudly on the door of Arthur's chambers. Merlin answered the door.

"Hello Gwen…are you okay? You look like a woman on a mission," he laughed.

"I am on a mission, is Arthur in?" Gwen asked.

"Yes he is. Shall I give you both some space?" Merlin looked behind him and saw Arthur shaking his head furiously.

"That would be great, thank you Merlin," Gwen smiled at him.

"Actually I should stay and polish…." Merlin stuttered.

"We will be fine Merlin," Gwen slid past him into the room and proceeded to usher Merlin out the room.

"Okay I'll be right outside…"Merlin called as Gwen shut the door behind him.

Gwen finally turned her attention to Arthur.

"Hello Arthur," she smiled at him.

"If this is about my treatment of Lancelot again, I'm not going to apologise…" Arthur started off grumpily.

"It's not about Lancelot. In fact, there is no Lancelot anymore."

Arthur's face broke into a huge smile. "You finally ended it with him?"

"Yes."

Arthur rushed over to her and hugged her tightly, "Thank you."

Gwen hugged him back but gently pushed him off her, "Arthur, we need to talk."

Arthur's face dropped, "What about?"

"About us. About what happens now. Our future?"

"Well…I quite like how are at the minute. Especially now Lancelot is out of the picture," Arthur gave her a cheeky grin.

"That's not enough for me…" Gwen replied quietly.

"What do you want me to do? Tell my father by the way I'm courting the woman you hate most in Camelot, she isn't the right class, o and also she is a witch?" Arthur shouted in frustration.

"Arthur if you're going to insult me, the least you can do is keep your voice down about the thing that can get me killed in an instant," Gwen glared at him.

"I wasn't insulting you," Arthur snapped.

"You just listed all the reasons I'm not good enough or worthy enough for your father to know about me."

"You are good enough, and more than worthy, you know that don't you?" Arthur asked concerned.

"Yes I do, but I'm not sure you do. Not really. Would you ever consider telling your father about us?" Gwen begged him with her heart to say what she needed to hear.

His silence decided everything.

"Okay Arthur, if that's your decision. I'll accept it," Gwen replied with as much dignity as she could muster.

"I didn't decide anything," he muttered confused.

"Yes, you did," Gwen said sadly, "I think we are making a mistake. I'm asking too much of you and that's not fair. And you're asking too much of me, to be kept a secret and feel ashamed of who I am. I'm proud of my background and what it has made me into today. I refuse to hide any more than I already have to."

"I'm sorry Arthur. I truly care about you. I'll see you at training this afternoon," and with that Gwen turned and walked out of his room.

Arthur watched her leave.

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><p><strong>I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't worry about Arthur and Gwen. I have a plan :) xx<strong>

**P.S If anyone would like to make an image for this fanfic it would be much appreciated. **


	9. Deal

**_A/N Hello! I am so sorry it has been forever. And then all I give you is a plot mover chapter. But I do promise it is getting there. It will all kick off in the next chapter. However, this chapter needs to happen to get there. I hope you enjoy it :). Again I am so sorry for the wait._**

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><p>Merlin was leaning against the wall as Gwen walked past him looking upset.<p>

"Gwen?"

"I'm fine Merlin," she gave him a small smile and proceeded to walk down the corridor.

Merlin watched her leave, knowing full well that whatever had made Gwen that upset probably made Arthur very angry.

And sure enough as Merlin walked into Arthur's chambers, he ducked as a plate came hurtling towards him.

"Steady on!" Merlin exclaimed.

He got glared at in response as Arthur continued to destroy anything in his path.

"Arthur! What's wrong?"

"She doesn't want to be with me. She said I was ashamed of her!" And with that comment Arthur's beautiful candlesticks that Merlin had just got spotless, went out the window.

"Well, aren't you?" Merlin asked, instantly regretting his words.

"NO! HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT?" Arthur roared.

"Because, you won't tell anyone about her," Merlin squeaked as he ran around the chambers darting the flying cutlery.

"You know my father would never understand," Arthur slumped down into his chair.

"Does that matter?" Merlin poked his face round the wardrobe door he was currently hiding behind.

"Of course it does!" Arthur looked at Merlin in disbelief.

"But…if it means losing Gwen, then surely it's worth upsetting your father?" Merlin asked.

"It's not that simple," Arthur muttered.

"Arthur, it is. You tell him about Gwen, you get to be with Gwen. If you don't then you risk losing her forever."

"When did you get so wise?"

Merlin just grinned so Arthur threw a banana at him.

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><p>Gwen hurried back to her house she shared with Morgana. She unlocked the door and walked in.<p>

Gwaine and Morgana guilty jumped away from each other.

"Sorry…I should have knocked…I'll go…" Gwen muttered embarrassed.

"Gwen… it's your house," Gwaine pointed out. He noticed her red eyes. "Gwen what happened?"

He knew she wasn't a girl who cried easily.

"I decided to end things with Arthur. I didn't want to hide anymore."

Gwaine hugged her, "I thought you would see sense soon enough."

"Gwaine?" Gwen asked confused.

"It's not like you to hide in the shadows. Not after you've fought so hard to be accepted. And one day everything about you will be accepted," giving Gwen a knowing wink.

"And I love you just the way you are," Gwaine kissed her on the forehead, burying her face in his chest.

"And so do I," Morgana joined the hug, making it a Gwen sandwich.

"Arthur is a fool to let you go. He will never meet anyone else like you," Morgana released Gwen and gave her a huge smile.

"Thanks. Now I just need someone to bring the cake out," Gwen laughed.

Gwaine finally let Gwen go, "Come on girly let us walk you to training. We can stay and watch if you want?"

"No I'll be fine."

Gwaine held out his hands to the girls, "to training! Not quite as much as fun as the Tavern though." The girls giggled and took his outstretched hands.

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><p>Gwen walked towards training, getting more and more nervous. It was comforting to listen to Morgana and Gwaine talk but it didn't stop the fear taking over her stomach. The thought of coming face-to-face with two men she had recently broken up with was enough to make her turn round and flee. Griffins and armies were easy compared to relationships.<p>

Sure enough Arthur ignored her as she arrived at training. She tried to make eye contact with him but he didn't even look her way. Lancelot glanced at her, looked at Arthur and looked back at Gwen. Gwen wondered what was going through his mind. _I told you so probably_, Gwen thought meanly. She immediately regretted her bitterness as Lancelot smiled warmly at her. At least Lancelot wasn't mad at her, but then again she doubted Lancelot stayed mad at anyone for long.

Lancelot walked over to Gwen, Gwaine and Morgana.

"Hello Gwen, Gwaine, Morgana," Lancelot nodded to her friends.

"Hello Lancelot," Gwen replied quietly.

"We will just be over there," said Morgana as she gently pulled Gwaine with her.

"What? Oh yes, we'll just be over there…if you need us Gwen," Gwaine spoke directly to Lancelot.

"I'll be fine," Gwen nudged Gwaine towards Morgana.

Lancelot remained silent as Gwaine and Morgana walked away and out of earshot.

"Are you alright Gwen?" Lancelot asked concerned.

"I'm fine." Gwen replied.

"I just wanted to check, you seemed a bit upset."

"Honestly, I'm fine."

"Okay," Lancelot clearly didn't believe her but he was wise enough not to push her further.

They walked together to where Arthur was stood on a raised platform, looking down expectantly on them.

"Now that we are all here," Arthur began, looking in the direction of Gwen and Lancelot, "I can tell you about the tournament my father has decided to hold."

"It will be in honour of his birthday, and will consist of several rounds of armed combat. The tournament will begin a week today and it is open to all knights across the region of Camelot. I expect all of you to enter and participate."

"As the reigning champion," Arthur announced smugly, "I expect you to at least provide me with some sort of challenge. Therefore everyone will get into pairs and begin practising. Lancelot, you're with Leon. Sparks, you're with me."

_Ooo using my surname, is that meant to intimidate me? _Never the less, Gwen approached the platform cautiously, sword drawn. Arthur jumped down as she moved towards him. He sheathed his sword and walked slowly towards Gwen, hands raised. _Damn he is cute. _Arthur had a cocky grin on his face and stood directly in front of her. He slowly bent down, and whispered in her ear, "If you can beat me, I will tell the world about us." He stood back and looked her in the eye, eyebrow raised. _Challenge accepted, _Gwen thought.

And with that, Gwen pounced, sword raised. Arthur had predicted her response. He knew she would take the bait; Gwen could never resist any opportunity to prove herself. His sword met hers as she went for a chest hit. They fought fiercely, swords and armour clashing. They made such a racket that the other knights stopped their fight and turned to watch. It was hard to predict who was winning, Arthur was stronger by far but Gwen was quicker. Swords slicing and stabbing here and there, their feet and arms moving almost like a blur, shields disregarded altogether.

And suddenly it was over just as quickly as it had begun. Gwen stabbed her sword into the ground and backed away from Arthur. Arthur realised Gwen was calling the fight off and stopped advancing towards her. "I won't beat you here Arthur Pendragon. I will beat you on that field for the world to see. I will show your father what I can do and I will beat you fair and square."

"We shall see," Arthur smiled wickedly at her.

Gwen pulled her sword out of the ground, half bowed, and stormed away. Gwaine and Morgana ran to catch up with her. Arthur watched her leave, feeling a lot more confident that Gwen still cared about him. _Otherwise_, he thought, _she would not have been so annoyed with me._

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><p>He went to her that night. He stood in the shadows, hood raised and waited. He watched patiently for Gwaine and Morgana to go out. He saw them walk off towards the Tavern. He quietly slipped into Gwen's home. She was sat on the bench in her main room, polishing her chest plate.<p>

"You really need a Merlin to do that for you."

Gwen jumped up startled, her hand already going for her knife.

Arthur grabbed her wrist and whispered, "It's me."

With his other hand he pushed his hood off his face.

"Arthur," Gwen gasped, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," Arthur smiled and kissed her passionately. Gwen kissed him back, wrenching her wrist out of his hand and grabbing the back of his head. His arm went round her waist and he pulled her closer to him.

They came up for air a couple of minutes later. Gwen looked deeply into Arthur's eyes and pushed him away. "No, you don't get to do that anymore."

"Gwen, please. I miss you. I want to be with you," Arthur pleaded.

"Then tell your father about us. Please Arthur that is all that I ask."

"I know," Arthur rubbed the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable.

"I just…I don't want to disappoint him," Arthur sat down on the bench.

"You do understand that don't you?" Arthur asked looking up at her.

"Of course I do," she sat down next to him and took his hand, "but can you understand that I don't want a secret relationship?"

"Yes." They were both silent.

"Can we at least leave it till after his birthday? I would hate to ruin his big day,"

Gwen just raised her eyebrows at him, "How about we stick to your original deal? If I beat you at the tournament, then you will tell him there and then."

"Sure," Arthur replied instantly, clearly confident about the outcome of that encounter, "but just in case you don't beat me, I promise I will tell him after his birthday," Arthur smiled at her.

"Deal," she held out her hand. He laughed at her but shook it anyway.

"You know it won't go down well right, you are prepared for that? He might want to banish you, take your knighthood away, all sorts of things."

"I know," Gwen replied quietly. She turned her head towards him, "but I already live with so many secrets. I don't want you to be one of them."

Arthur put his arm round her and hugged her tight.

"What have you done to me Gwen Sparks?" he sighed.

Gwen just smiled.

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><p><em><strong>I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please review as it makes my day and helps motivate me xx<strong>_


	10. I love you

**Hello! I warn you now, this is not the start of the tournament. As I started writing it just kept growing and unfortunately the tournament is now across two chapters but that is not until the next chapter. So apologies to anyone hoping this would be it. However, I do promise that the next chapter will be up in a week or by 10 reviews, which ever comes first, and the same process for the chapter after that as they are both written. I hope you enjoy it and I promise there is purpose in this chapter. **

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><p>Arthur left soon after they had made their deal. He didn't want to but Gwen reminded him that people would get very concerned if their prince was not in his bed in the morning. He laughed but agreed to go nevertheless. Gwen loved it when he laughed, he seemed so serious most of time but with her he seemed young and happy. She loved it when he smiled and the joy and happiness he felt was obvious in his eyes. She ushered him out of her home, gentle pushing him out of the kitchen and through the front door. He gave her a brief kiss on the lips, pulled his hood up and walked out into the night. Gwen closed the door quietly with a big smile on her face.<p>

She was still awake when Gwaine, Morgana and Merlin returned home.

"Merlin? What are you doing here?" Gwen asked.

"Well…I was going back to Gaius's but then I fell over…," Merlin drunkenly explained.

"Into a puddle," Gwaine interjected.

"And Gwaine said, I couldn't go back to Gaius's wet and should dry off," Merlin promptly sat down on some bags of grain.

"I said that Merlin could stay here, I hope you don't mind Gwen," said Morgana.

"Of course not," Gwen giggled. "I'll go get him some blankets."

Gwen went and found the pile of blankets they put aside for winter. She tucked one blanket around Merlin's feet and another round his shoulders.

"Gwen, Gwen, you're so kind, so pretttttttttty. Don't tell Arthur I was at the tavern, okay? Sshhhhh," Merlin puts his finger to his lips.

"Okay Merlin, I won't tell him, you sleep tight now," Gwen whispered.

"Okay, NIGHT!" and with that Merlin rolled over and went to sleep.

Gwen joined Gwaine and Morgana at the table, "How did he get in this state?"

"Well….," Gwaine began, looking guilty.

"Gwaine!" Gwen lightly punched his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I thought it would be funny. And it was!" Gwaine gave the girls a cheeky grin and Morgana covered her mouth and dissolved into giggles.

"He'll be fine in the morning, plenty of water and a good night's rest," Gwaine leaned backwards and affectionately patted Merlin's head. Merlin snorted loudly in response.

"Right, well I'm off to bed. I'll see you three in the morning," Gwen waved them good night and went off to her bed.

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><p>Gwen started off the next morning by gently waking Merlin with a mug of water in her hand.<p>

"Merlin, Merlin, wakey wakey lazy daisy,"

"Humm?" Merlin slowly stirred. He immediately rubbed his temple and moaned.

"I've got a cracking headache, what happened?" Merlin asked bewildered.

"Gwaine happened I'm afraid," Gwen shrugged apologetically.

"Oohhh," Merlin groaned.

"Well I've got to see Arthur this morning so I'll tell him you aren't well, I'll pop in on Gaius as well and let him know you are at ours."

"Thanks Gwen," Merlin mumbled.

"Go get in my bed, I'll see you later," Gwen helped Merlin stand up and guided him over to her bed.

"Sleep well Merlin," Gwen quietly opened her front door and left to start her day.

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><p>Her first visit was to Gaius.<p>

"Gaius!" she called out loudly as she entered his workshop.

"Gwen? Have you see Merlin?" asked Gaius concerned.

"Yes, he is sleeping at mine, Gwaine took him to the tavern last night."

"Oh," smiled Gaius knowingly, "Well I'm glad to know he is safe."

"Yes, anyway I best go see Arthur and let him know," Gwen turned away and went towards the door.

"Gwen?" Gaius called after her.

"Yes?" Gwen halted at the door.

"Have you considered trying to get Gwaine a job?" Gaius asked.

Gwen was taken back.

"Erm, no, not really. He has never been one for a conventional way of life. And he has always been a traveller…" Gwen struggled for an explanation.

"It might be worth talking to Arthur about, perhaps save Merlin from being on the receiving end of a bored Gwaine? Hmm?" asked Gaius, his eyes peering over his glasses knowingly.

"I'll ask him. Thanks for the advice Gaius." Gwen smiled, "I'll see you later."

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><p>Gwen knocked on Arthur's chambers.<p>

"Come in, come in...Merlin that better be you, I need help getting dressed," Arthur came round the corner to see Gwen staring at him with a peculiar look on her face.

"Gwen, are you okay?" Arthur asked concerned.

"Yes, I'm fine Arthur," Gwen's cheeks were turning red, her eyes not quite reaching his face.

Arthur realised he had greeted her shirtless.

"Sorry Gwen, I'll just get dressed. I thought you were Merlin," embarrassed, Arthur grabbed his shirt from his bed and threw it on over his head.

Gwen just smiled.

"Anyway," Arthur came over to her, now fully clothed, "How can I help you?"

"I've come to tell you that Merlin is ill and will be unable to perform his duties today."

"That Merlin, I bet he was at the tavern again. According to Gaius he is always in the tavern," Arthur said annoyed.

"Well…I'm sure he will be fine tomorrow. In the meantime I'm sure you can manage without him for one day?" Gwen asked cheekily.

"Yes, of course, I am quite capable you know," Arthur retorted.

"Okay, good to know," Gwen replied with a smile on her face, "I've also come to ask you for a favour. It's about my friend Gwaine, he needs a job."

"Well, what is he skilled in?"

"Erm…I'm not sure," answered Gwen honestly, "He is a very talented fighter."

"Gwen," Arthur looked pained, "You know I can't make him a knight. He is a commoner."

Gwen looked disappointed.

"But," Arthur went on, "he can perhaps be some sort of trainer? We've got the tournament coming up and we always need new people to spar against?"

"I'll ask him, I think a job like that he would really enjoy. Thank you Arthur," Gwen smiled at him.

"Anything for you," replied Arthur, taking her hand and kissing it lightly.

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><p>Gwaine joined them for training that morning. He had been pleased, if a little bit sceptical, about the offer of a job working with the knights. Ideally, he would rather be one of the knights but beggars can't be choosers. The focus of training was still heavily on the tournament and after a series of basic manoeuvres, they split into pairs and began practicing. Gwen immediately sided with Gwaine and a long running tally of their battles against each other suddenly emerged.<p>

"I'm winning, aren't I, I think its 49 – 45?" Gwaine teased Gwen.

"You know for a fact I'm winning and its 51 – 48!" Gwen replied, their swords clashing.

"How about we call it a draw and start again?" Gwaine asked.

"You're on," shouted Gwen.

Gwaine did his wonderful trick of sliding his sword up Gwen's, flicking into the air and catching it. Only Gwen knew her friend too well and as her sword flew out of her hand, she watched as Gwaine's attention focused on her sword, slid her foot behind Gwaine's knee and yanked her foot back towards her. His leg went straight away and he fell to the ground as Gwen caught her sword and tapped Gwaine's chest plate.

"I win! 1 - 0", Gwen smiled down at him.

"You know me too well," said Gwaine, and graciously accepted her hand up.

"Before Gwen annihilated you, what you did was very impressive," said Arthur as he wandered over to them.

"Thank you Princey," Gwaine replied with a mock bow.

Arthur just laughed, "It's a shame you won't be able to show us what you are truly made of in the tournament."

"It's probably a wise decision sire, I wouldn't want to embarrass you," Gwaine retorted cheekily.

"Embarrass? Me? You're joking!" asked Arthur flabbergasted.

"Of course sire, I would hate to defeat you in front of your kingdom and on daddy's birthday as well."

Arthur was furious, "Well if you think you're so talented then prove it. I will put you in the competition and we shall see how far you get. You probably won't even get the chance to face me."

Arthur stormed off to the other side of the training field.

"I know you did that on purpose," Gwen whispered to Gwaine.

"Of course I did, he might be a pretty Gwen, but he isn't that bright," Gwaine grinned.

_I wonder_, Gwen thought to herself.

* * *

><p>Gwen went to visit Arthur that evening.<p>

"Now you are a sight for sore eyes," Arthur whispered as he answered his door.

To be fair, she had made an effort. She wanted Arthur to see her in something other than her armour, so she had borrowed a dress from Morgana, a deep purple one, and had done her hair.

"What can I do for you on this fine evening? Remember I need my sleep, the first round of the tournament begins tomorrow."

"You know Gwaine was deliberately winding you up earlier right?" Gwen asked as she sat down in a chair.

"Of course," Arthur replied, shutting the door and taking the seat next to Gwen.

"It was the only way I could get my father to agree to his involvement in the competition. You know he can't resist a challenge. See I'm not just a pretty face," Arthur winked.

Gwen's heart fluttered.

"Is this the tournament draw for tomorrow?" she asked deliberately changing the conversation.

"Yes, you'll be pleased to know we are in separate halves of the draw so we shouldn't meet till the final."

"Did you do that on purpose?" Gwen asked curiously.

"Actually it was a happy coincidence. However, you do have Lancelot and Leon in your half," Arthur pointed out.

"Yes, but you have Gwaine, and Lancelot's friend Percival. He is incredibly strong."

"I'm strong too," said Arthur a bit dejectedly.

"I know," said Gwen, her fingers gently stroking his face, "don't be jealous."

"I'm not, I was merely pointing out a fact," Arthur retorted.

As she grew to understand Arthur, Gwen had started to learn that his arrogance and confidence was just a shield against a lifetime of trying to live up to his father's ridiculously high expectations.

She smiled at him, "I love you exactly the way you are, I wouldn't change anything about you. But I do need to be getting some sleep. I've got boys to put in their place tomorrow."

She kissed him gently on the lips and walked out the room.

She practically ran all the way back home. _Did I just tell Arthur I love him? Do I love him? Does he love me? He didn't say it back. Yes but he is Arthur, _her conscience replied, _You can't expect too much from him so soon. _She didn't really mind he hadn't said it back. What she was more bothered about was if she had scared him off? Put too much pressure on an already fragile relationship.

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><p><strong>I really hope you enjoyed the chapter, I really wanted Gwaine to be part of the tournament. And a drunk Merlin is always fun. Please review as it makes me happy :)<strong>

**Wow half way there on the review count in less than 24 hours. Thank you so much guys :) xx**


	11. The Tournament Begins

**Hey guys! I hope you enjoy :)**

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><p><em>SHE LOVES ME! <em>Arthur was as excited as a child. He collapsed onto his bed. _She loves me! Why? Because you're a prince, the future king. No, _Arthur smiled to himself,_ she would have loved me regardless. She would have loved me even I was a farmer. _Merlin barged into his chambers to help Arthur get ready for bed.

"I'm sorry I'm late, I've been really ill," Merlin fake coughs, "See I'm still recovering…"

Arthur just ignored him. He had a big smile on his face as he lay on his bed, his hands clasped behind his head and he gazed up above him.

"You seemed happy," Merlin commented as he busied himself getting Arthur's bed clothes out.

"She loves me," Arthur blurted out.

"Who does?"

Arthur threw a pillow at him, "Gwen of course!"

"Well everyone knows that," Merlin replied having mysterious avoided the pillow. Arthur made a mental note to work on his aim.

"Well, I didn't," Arthur said quietly to himself.

"What?" Merlin asked loudly.

"Nothing," Arthur replied.

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><p>The next day was the first round of the tournament.<p>

Gwen was up against a young knight named Richard. He had joined the knights soon after Gwen herself. His father was a landowner of many of the southern farms. Richard was a snob but had become a much nicer man since joining the knights. He was perfectly competent at fighting.

The battle didn't pose much of a threat for Gwen. She managed to have Richard on his back, sword pointed at his throat within five minutes. She was a crowd favourite, still a novelty to watch although she had been a knight for many months. She could always guarantee a full stadium, particularly amongst the womenfolk who admired her greatly. Some thought she should just settle down and marry a nice young man but many women secretly wished they had the courage to do what Gwen did. Cheers and whistles erupted as Richard landed flat on his back.

Gwen took her customary bow, rather than the traditional curtsey, and exited the field. Uther would not be present for the opening rounds of the competition, except when Arthur was fighting. Lancelot followed her next and thrashed his opponent. Leon quickly joined them in the next round of the tournament. The second half of the draw was due to fight in the afternoon.

"Gwen, Gwen!" Merlin was calling her name as he ran up to her.

Gwen politely excused herself from the conversation with Leon and Lancelot and went to Merlin.

"Merlin are you okay? You seem panicked," Gwen asked concerned.

"I need…to…talk to you," Merlin panted.

"Just take a deep breath and tell me what's happened,"

Merlin took a deep breath and began his story.

It started the morning he woke up hung over and cuddled up in Gwen's bed. Obviously he panicked, fully aware that it must have been mid-afternoon and he was extremely late for work. He burst out of Gwen's front door and stumbled into a man walking past. Merlin made his apologies and was about the hurry on his way when the stranger stopped him. He introduced himself as a wandering trader and engaged Merlin in conversation. He was particularly keen to find out all about Uther's birthday tournament. Merlin, being Merlin, happily obliged and informed him when the rounds would commence. He was asked many questions about Arthur, which Merlin was much more cautious in answering. Eventually Merlin bid him good day and went off to find Arthur. He had not thought much about the encounter until he saw the stranger lurking around the preparation tents.

"Gwen, I'm convinced he is up to no good and I think it involves Arthur," Merlin finished.

"That may be the case. We need to alert Arthur and some of the other knights. We will be prepared for him if he decides to attack," Gwen declared.

She called out to Leon and Lancelot who were still stood close by.

"Leon, can you go find Arthur quickly please? Lancelot can you find Percival and Merlin can you find Gwaine. Meet back here as soon as you can," Gwen commanded.

The knights and Merlin nodded and went to complete their individual tasks. Within 15 minutes, everyone was accounted for. Merlin informed them all what he had seen, Arthur was sceptical, but Gwen's insistence that he took his safety as a priority was enough to make him take the situation seriously.

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><p>And then it was Arthur's turn to fight. He confidently strolled into the arena, Merlin hurrying along behind him with Arthur's sword and helmet. He grabbed his sword but left his helmet. Cheers erupted from the crowd, and Arthur being the constant showman, bowed and waved to his fans. He turned to his opponent and mockingly beckoned him with his hand. His opponent made some grand movements and sweeps and hurtled towards Arthur. Arthur stood completely still, sword pointed to the ground. As his opponent went for the final stab, Arthur stepped aside, the momentum of his opponent too much for the poor man to stop, and he crashed face first into the ground. Arthur then rested the tip of his sword on the back of the knight's neck.<p>

"LONG LIVE THE PRINCE!" Arthur bowed and waved to the crowd, giving a particular nod to his very proud father who stood on his raised platform, probably cheering the loudest of them all. Gwen just beamed at him as he approached the group of knights.

"Well we've all survived round one, I mean that more literally in some cases that others," the knights laughed but Gwen was still tense and on high alert. The day ended peacefully and the excitement was high for the second round and quarterfinals for the following day.

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><p>Gwen passed through the second round without a scratch and was easily into the quarterfinals. However, her opponent in the quarterfinals was Sir Leon. He was a loyal and practical man, often looked to for advice by Arthur and his fellow knights. She knew he would be tough competition and that the crowd would be evenly divided between the two of them.<p>

Sure enough Leon hit her hard and fast, the round had only just commenced when he pounced. Gwen hit the ground running, never a popular move, but she had little choice. She darted and dived out of the way of Leon's sword. Gwen just reacted, it was instinct, the words were out of her mouth before she could think. Luckily for her, the crowd's boos at her running were too loud for anyone to hear her. Leon suddenly came to dramatic halt, unable to move his feet. Gwen quickly released him but it gave her the precious couple of seconds to gain her footing and take her stance. As Leon began to move again, his initial confusion slowed him greatly, and Gwen managed to get an almighty hit on his left side. The weight of her blow winded him and after that Gwen was constantly on the attack. It eventually became a fight against stamina. Leon moved too slowly and put too much force behind his attacks. Gwen managed to run rings round him, and gave a defeating jab when he was too tired to defend. The crowd cheered loudly. It might not have been the most exciting fight but both knights had fought admirably.

Lancelot had fought earlier on in the day and had already made it through to the semi-finals, making him Gwen's next competition. Gwen had no idea how that fight would go as Lancelot was arguably the best fighter in Camelot. It was a tough call between him and Arthur.

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><p>Arthur and Gwaine were to meet in the semi-finals of the second half of the draw. Arthur had faced a fierce fight against Sir Percival or as most of the women in Camelot like to think of him, the man with the arms. He was the strongest knight in Camelot, and one of the most loyal, but not necessarily the brightest. Arthur eventually defeated him by feinting right but then delivering a huge blow from his weaker left side, completely surprising poor Percival. Percival's shock sent him stumbling and it was all Arthur needed to force Percival's head into the sand.<p>

"PRINCE ARTHUR WINS AGAIN!"

Gwen, Merlin, Gwaine and Lancelot were all on guard duty during the round but no one had even seen a glimpse of the mysterious man. They were beginning to think Merlin had imagined him; he had had a lot to drink the night before. Uther stood in the stands beaming at his son. Arthur returned his proud smile with a bow.

The knights had an early night as it was the big day tomorrow. The two semi-finals would be held in the morning, followed by the grand finale in the afternoon. Everyone was feeling nervous and Gwen went to bed with butterflies in her stomach. She had no idea how to beat Lancelot in the morning and just hoped she would be inspired during the battle. She did her best to avoid using magic in tournaments as she felt it gave her an unfair advantage.

And, if tomorrow went to plan, Arthur would tell the world about them. Was she ready for that? Could she handle the hate and disapproval of the people, of the neighbouring kingdoms? It was a huge task to become the potential future Queen of Camelot and a lot of people would have a lot of opinions about it, many of them negative. But Gwen was confident in herself and she hated hiding any part of her life in shadows. One day she would be completely true to the world around her.

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><p>She slept restlessly, often tossing and turning throughout the night. From the look of Gwaine's face he had a significantly better night's sleep than her.<p>

"Relax Gwen, you're the best knight out there and you know it, particularly with your little gift," he grinned at her.

"I do try not to use in competitions you know," Gwen grumbled.

"Yes I know, doesn't mean you can't use it though, just remember that," Gwaine put his arm round her shoulder, "but I don't think you'll get to use against your boyfriend, I will be facing you in the final."

"If I make it to the final," she mumbled.

"What's the matter? Of course you'll beat Lancelot, but that's more because he won't possibly be able to attack you."

"What?" Gwen asked shocked.

"Come on Gwen, it's obvious. There is no way Lancelot will be able to fight you properly. He is too much of a sappy idiot to realise you can take it. I don't mean that in a bad way, just you know, Arthur and I know that we can fight you like you're a man whereas Lancelot treats you like a princess. This is coming across all wrong. We are very aware you are actually a girl, and I'm not saying you're like a man, just you fight like a man..." Gwaine continued to ramble on.

Gwen just looked up at him and patted him on the head. "It's okay, I'm not offended. I know what you mean." She smiled at him, "In fact you have dramatically brightened up my mood with that ridiculous rant."

"Well, I aim to please," Gwaine gave her a cheeky wink. She punched his arm.

"Come on lets go find Princey and Lancelot!"

"You've got to stop calling him that!"

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><p><strong> Well that's round 1 (and 2) of the tournament. I hope you enjoyed it, please review and brighten up my day :).<strong>


	12. The Grand Finale

**The Finale is here. I hope it was worth the wait :) (Also a huge thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, you guys rock!)**

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><p>Gwen walked into the arena to thunderous applause. It seem like the crowd had forgiven her for her earlier performance against Leon. She saw Merlin, Morgana, Gwaine and Gaius in the crowd waving enthusiastically at her.<p>

Well, she thought her applause was loud, but Lancelot's welcome was ear shattering. He was a truly beloved knight, his kindness and loyalty had no limits.

He approached her cautiously but with a huge smile at his face.

"My lady," he bowed to her.

Gwen rolled her eyes at him. She knew Arthur would be unimpressed with Lancelot's behaviour from his seat next to Uther's.

"Come on Lancelot, let's just get this over and done with."

Gwen caught the look on Uther's face as Lancelot bowed to her. She couldn't understand how one man could be so full of hatred for someone just because of who they are. Arthur looked like he was having a hard time remaining sat down.

Gwen and Lancelot took their positions. Gwen knew how Lancelot fought, and he knew her style. She anticipated it would be a close match. They circled for a while before Gwen pounced. She had no idea what Lancelot was playing at, he had never been one for shying away from a fight. Lancelot immediately went on the defensive. Gwen stabbed and swung her sword but Lancelot defended himself brilliantly. Gwen suddenly realised she had left her side open and braced for impact. But the hit never came. Gwen assumed she got off lucky, but she had a niggling feeling that perhaps Gwaine had been right earlier. After another series of fierce attacks, Gwen finally got a massive hit against Lancelot's right shoulder. But the momentum carried her to far forward leaving a very obvious and easy to reach target by her left side. Everyone watching could see and expected the defeating blow by Lancelot. But he didn't move. Gwen was furious.

She pulled off her helmet and threw it to the ground, "Why didn't you hit me? I was wide open!"

Lancelot gently lifted his visor and gave her a sad smile, "You know I could never hurt you."

Gwen was livid. "You've seen me fight, you know I'm one of the best in Camelot! Don't do this to me Lancelot!"

Lancelot just looked at her, followed by a quick glance at Arthur, who had risen from his seat, his face as dark as thunder. Lancelot stabbed his sword into the ground and walked back towards the tents.

"Gwen is through to the final. Sir Lancelot withdraws." Gwen heard the sneering voice of Uther Pendragon as he announced the result. Gwen picked up her helmet and walked out of the stadium to a significantly muted applause than she arrived too.

* * *

><p>Gwaine and Arthur were on straight after and it was only the apprehension over the potential assassin that made Gwen leave her tent and head back into the arena. She didn't think either one of them would ever forgive her if she missed it.<p>

It was clear from the minute Gwen saw them that both men were nervous. Not that many others would have realised, but Gwen saw the recognisable ticks in the two men she loved. She shuffled her way through the crowd and took her seat with Merlin, Morgana and Gaius. Merlin immediately put his arm round her.

"Congratulations!" He beamed at her.

"Thank you," Gwen muttered.

Morgana was a lot more understanding, "I'm sorry Gwen, Lancelot shouldn't have done that. Are you okay?"

"Yes, I guess. Not a lot I can do about it now."

"At least you're in the final, that's amazing!" Morgana smiled, desperately trying to cheer Gwen up.

Gwen gave her small smile in return.

"Any sign of the assassin?" said Gwen attempting to change the conversation.

"Nope, nothing. I've asked all around town and no one has seen him," Merlin answered.

"I've been asking my patients and they haven't seen him either," added Gaius.

"Perhaps he was just a travelling tradesman?" Morgana suggested.

Merlin and Gwen exchanged looks.

"Maybe…but we can never be too careful," Gwen answered.

Merlin nudged her, "The fights about to start, be on your guard."

They were but slowly their attention drifted towards the thrilling encounter happening below them.

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><p>Gwaine and Arthur were evenly matched, equal in strength, speed and intelligence with a sword. They fought ferociously and there were many moments where Gwen could hear squeals and shrieks from the crowd around her.<p>

Gwen couldn't take her eyes off the battle. Arthur was magnificence, strong and brave, he looked every bit like a king. But suddenly he was on the back foot, Gwaine had got some good hits on him and Arthur had started shuffling backwards. Gwaine strode forwards, confident and mighty, and Gwen realised exactly what Arthur was doing.

As Gwaine went to perform his show trick, his final move, Arthur let his sword go up with Gwaine's and pulled the same trick as he had witnessed Gwen do in training. Gwen saw Gwaine's knees go from underneath him and he fell to the ground. Morgana screamed next to her. And up stood Arthur, the victor. Everyone was up on their feet. It had been a fantastic match. Arthur held his hand out for Gwaine which he took graciously. He patted Arthur on the back, waved to the crowd and headed straight towards them. He climbed up the stadium wall, and planted a kiss on Morgana's lips.

"Sorry beautiful but there is always next year."

Morgana just beamed at him, her cheeks a very bright shade of pink.

Arthur was ushered off to prepare for the final. He caught Gwen's eye and smiled at her. Merlin leapt out the stands and ran after Arthur and his entourage.

Morgana and Gwaine continued to be lost in their own little world. Gaius excused himself and Gwen followed his lead. She took herself off and waited in her tent to be called for the fight.

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><p>She waited and waited, alone and worried. Her nerves were starting to get the better of her. <em>Could she beat Arthur<em>? He was the best knight in Camelot and she had only been a knight for less than a year, and had only been fighting a couple of years before that. Arthur had been born with a sword in his hand. She hadn't even beaten Lancelot, he had let her win. She started to breathe heavily, trying to calm her beating heart.

_Stop it, you're just winding yourself up. Breathe in…and out…and in. _Her heart was beginning to slow when Merlin barged in.

"Gwen! It's time for the fight and I saw him! I saw the assassin!"

"What?" Gwen asked panicked.

"Yes I saw him and I can't find anyone and your needed outside now!"

"Merlin, you have to find the others, Leon or Percival must be around somewhere. I'll warn Arthur," said Gwen taking command. Merlin looked pained.

"Merlin, go. I promise I will protect him."

Merlin gave her a quick hug, "Good luck, and keep safe!" and he ducked out the tent.

Gwen put on her helmet and grabbed her sword. After a moment's hesitation she seized her dagger as well. She slid it carefully into her boot. Better to be safe than sorry.

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><p>Gwen arrived at the stadium and was ushered straight into the arena. She was late and Arthur had already finished his traditional greeting the audience. His face broke into a smile when he saw she had arrived. Gwen ran over to him.<p>

"Arthur, he's here. We have to go. We can't be so open. We need to get to shelter," Gwen whispered to him. She turned to leave.

Arthur grabbed her wrist, "Gwen, I can't leave."

"Of course you can, it's a matter of life or death, come on Arthur don't be silly," Gwen tugged her arm free.

"Gwen, if I leave, everyone will think I'm a coward."

"No they won't, they'll understand."

"Gwen," Arthur spoke through gritted teeth, "I can't leave."

Gwen looked him directly in the eye, "Then I'm not leaving either. Bring it on Princey," she mimicked his famous hand beckoning.

Arthur gave her a dazzling smile, pulled his visor down and took his stance.

The crowd started chanting and cheering. Arthur struck first, just like she knew he would. As she darted out of the way, she scanned the audience for any sign of the assassin or her friends. She noticed Arthur doing the same.

Their fight was not as fierce as his and Gwaine's but it was quick. Gwen strength was her speed, but Arthur was just as fast. Their defence was strong, and they moved out of the way of most blows. Arthur got a great hit across Gwen's stomach and winded her. She gasped loudly and Arthur was momentary torn between checking if Gwen was okay or proceeding with his attack. Gwen, on the other hand, had no such issues, and immediately returned his blow with an even more powerful hit across his right arm. They continued to fight, both growing tired. Arthur feinted left but attacked with his right knocking Gwen's sword out of her hand. Gwen attempted to grab it but Arthur was too fast and kicked it away. Gwen refused to give in and continued to remain out of reach of Arthur's sword. Eventually he managed to grab her and there was an almighty struggle until…

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><p>"ARTHUR WINS!" a proud Uther announced to the crowd.<p>

The cheers were deafening, "LONG LIVE THE PRINCE, LONG LIVE THE KING!"

Amongst all the noise, no one seemed to have realised that Arthur had remained completely still, his sword still pointed squarely at Gwen's chest for all to see.

"Father, father," Arthur shouted, trying to make himself heard over the crowd.

Merlin was instantly at Uther's side, "Sire, Arthur is trying to tell you something."

"What boy? Oh yes," Uther looked to Arthur.

"Silence," Uther yelled and the effect was instant.

"Arthur, what is the matter?"

"I haven't won the tournament," Arthur admitted.

"What?" shouted an enraged Uther.

Slowly Arthur lifted his arm, to reveal Gwen's dagger pressed firmly in the gap between Arthur's chest plate and his body. One move and Gwen could stab her blade into Arthur's heart.

The crowd gasped. This was unheard of. Could it be a draw? Arthur's sword had been directly pointed at Gwen's stomach. If this was a real battle, both would have been killed instantly.

"It is a draw," Arthur declared and withdrew his sword. Gwen immediately removed her dagger and smiled up at Arthur. Arthur returned her smile.

"This is cannot be! As King, I have the right to declare the winner. The winner is Arthur Pendragon!"

The publics' reaction was a lot more reserved this time. Whispers rippled through the crowd, cries of cheat and fix started to be heard.

"No father, it is a draw. And I am delighted to share the honour and glory with this remarkable woman. In fact, father I have something to tell you," Arthur paused, turned to Gwen and held out his hand.

Gwen's heart went into overdrive. _Was he going to announce their relationship here? In front of everyone? How would people react? What would Uther do?_

But Gwen swallowed her fears and took Arthur's outstretched hand. Together they could take whatever the world threw at them.

"Father, I love this woman stood before you. She is my everything, the queen of my heart. And one day, with your blessing, I want her to be Queen of Camelot," Arthur knelt before his father's throne, Gwen quickly followed suit.

The crowd went mad, they cheered and threw flowers. Gwen was a popular figure in Camelot, known for her bravely and her kindness, and her skills throughout the competition had gained her many more fans.

Uther glared at his people till they fell silent. Gwen's heart was in her mouth. Having her neck freely on display in front of an angry Uther was not a pleasant experience.

"You witch! What have you done to Arthur? You will never be part of this family as long as I am breathing. Guards!" Uther stood up and went for his sword.

Arthur jumped in front of Gwen, sword raised, "You will not harm her," he growled.

"If you choose her, you will no longer be the heir to the throne! YOU WILL NO LONGER BE MY SON!" Uther spat at Arthur.

And then Uther was shot.

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><p><strong>*Cue dramatic music* Well I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please review, it makes my day :)<strong>


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